Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal pulls off his biggest win in his career against Christian Garin at the Argentina Open. Nagal won the match in straight sets 6-4,6-3 against the World No. 22 to power his way through to the last eight.
Nagal dominated the match right from the start and he had the upper hand since the midway of the first set and passed the test with flying colours. The Indian is fond of playing in South American clay courts and he has shown what he can do when he is at his best.
“It means a lot,” Nagal said in a statement. “I am very happy that I am getting to play a lot of matches. Playing against my friend Garin was fun today. I played a good match, followed my game plan and came out on top of my game. I’m enjoying being back on clay.”
Garin is a very good player with a lot of potential who has risen the ranks and has been as high as 18th in the world. He has also won four ATP titles and all of them have been on clay. However, on this day it was the World No. 150 who reigned supreme against the Chilean.
The India No.1 had a clear chalked out plan and he executed it to the perfect on the day to script history in the Argentinian capital. His Davis Cup coach Nandan Bal also appreciated him and mainly his powerful forehand which was the weapon in this match. Bal said, “Sumit was hitting the forehand with amazing accuracy and power. He was just cleaning up the lines. He’s definitely a good mover, but the range he was getting on the forehand made a big difference. But it was controlled aggression – he wasn’t going haywire with his shots. He knew exactly when to play what shot and where to place it.”
Nagal has shown potential even during his matches against Roger Federer and recent encounter against Dominic Thiem. He wins matches when the people don’t expect him to pull it off. Despite the win, it is only the beginning for the Indian who keeps his aims high.
The World No. 150 will now face Albert Ramos Viñolas from Spain in the quarterfinals of the Argentina Open. The 33-year-old Spaniard is in good form and is also the fifth seed in the tournament. So it will be another challenge for the 23-year-old who will definitely be up for it.
