Photo – Chenthil Mohan

Lucky loser Sumit Nagal lost in straight sets to the former world no.3 Milos Raonic in the opening round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

In a match that was marred by a 2.5 hour rain delay, Nagal could not produce his best tennis, and thus lost 3-6 3-6 to the big serving Canadian, who was consistently serving above the 140mph range. However, Raonic’s first serve percentage was just at 51%.

Nagal is the 14th alternate for next week’s ATP 175 Phoenix Challenger in Arizona, and can only play if there are enough withdrawals. Regardless, he will be competing in the ATP Miami Masters Qualifying starting from 18th March.