(Tennis News) Sumit Nagal ran out of steam and suffered a defeat to China’s Shang Juncheng with a scoreline of 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 4-6 in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday.

Despite a promising start that saw the 26-year-old clinching the first set comfortably in just 40 minutes, the 18-year-old Chinese player elevated his game and emerged victorious after a battle lasting 2 hours and 50 minutes. Shang Juncheng, who received a wild card into the tournament, notably improved his performance after dropping the initial set. With a significant reduction in unforced errors and improved service, he secured a 5-2 lead with two breaks in the second game. The Chinese player’s clinical play in the subsequent sets allowed Nagal only one break point.

Having previously made history by advancing to the second round with a straight-sets victory, Sumit Nagal had defeated the 27th seed Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (5) in the first round. This achievement marked him as the first Indian since Ramesh Krishnan in 1989 to beat a seeded player in the singles main draw of a Grand Slam. Despite the setback in the second round, Sumit Nagal, as a result of his first-round victory, earns Aus$180,000 (around Rs 98 lakh) in prize money.

The top-ranked Indian singles player secured his place in the main round by defeating Slovakia’s Alex Molcan in the final qualifying match without dropping a set in the three qualifying matches, marking his fourth appearance in the main draw at a Grand Slam. After overcoming a series of injuries, Nagal managed to elevate his ranking to world no. 122 after spending much of the previous year ranked outside the top 500.

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