Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal, currently ranked 77th in the world, has guaranteed himself a new career-high ranking after a solid performance at the big ATP 125 Challenger in Perugia, Italy. Nagal defeated Poland’s Maks Kasnikowski, a promising young player who had previously upset both Maestrelli and Coric, with a score of 6-4, 7-5 to advance to the semi-finals.
In an interview with SuperTennis Italy, Nagal said –“Maks and I are friends, we talk about tennis very often, and so I knew it wouldn’t be easy. It was very windy and the ball bounced a lot, the conditions put us to the test and I’m happy I managed to overcome them. I’m having a great time in Perugia; the event is well organized and there is a large audience, a factor that characterizes the Italian Challengers. The food as usual is fantastic. I’m always happy to play in this country.”
8 Wins in Just 10 Days For Nagal
In fact, Nagal’s win against Kasnikowski made it his 8th consecutive win in just 10 day, who is fresh from his sixth Challenger triumph achieved last week in Heilbronn: “I arrived in Perugia without resting much, but I wanted to be there. The truth is that I like to travel and I have fun on the court. Playing Tennis is what I love to do and playing matches makes me happy. In the last two years my mental approach has changed and this is certainly the main difference compared to the past.”
Nagal’s breakthrough came earlier this year with a second-round appearance at the Australian Open, which provided him with both new motivation and crucial financial support. “That result was important for me. I feel good physically and this finally allows me to choose which tournaments to play and to do it to the best of my ability,” he noted.
Nagal’s next opponent will be Spain’s Bernabè Zapata Miralles, who was ranked 37 just over a year ago. In the quarter-final, Zapata Miralles defeated Laslo Djere, the world number 46 and the 2017 champion of the Internazionali Città di Perugia, marking a significant win over a Top 100 player. The match will be played on Saturday, 15th June, and will be streamed live on – https://www.atptour.com/en/atp-challenger-tour/challenger-tv.
Cover Photo Credit – Daniele Combi