Sumit Nagal, the first Indian man to beat a seeded opponent at a grand slam since 1989, is hoping to shift the perception of tennis in the cricket-mad nation.
The 26-year-old qualifier, who speaks to Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli "once in a while", knocked out Kazakhstan's 31st seed Alexander Bublik with a 6-4 6-2 7-6 (7-5) victory at the Australian Open on Tuesday.
It was only Nagal's fifth match at a grand slam and first since last being at Melbourne Park in 2021.