NEW DELHI: Sumit Nagal, the Indian tennis sensation, advanced to the quarterfinal of the Perugia Challenger in Italy on Wednesday. The sixth-seeded player showcased his resilience by overcoming unseeded local Alessandro Giannessi in a thrilling three-set encounter, with scores of 0-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5).
This victory comes on the heels of Nagal's triumph at the Heilbronn Challenger in Germany last week. Despite a challenging start, where Giannessi dominated the first set 6-0, the 77th-ranked Indian refused to concede defeat.
Nagal fought back in the second set, securing a crucial break and clinching it 7-5 to force a decider.
The final set witnessed intense competition between the two players, ultimately leading to a nail-biting tie-breaker. Nagal held his nerve and emerged victorious, taking the set 7-6(7-5).
In the quarterfinal, he will face the winner of the pre-quarterfinal match between Poland's Maks Kasnikowski and Croatia's third-seeded Borna Coric.
Nagal's journey in the Perugia Challenger began with a commanding straight-set victory over unseeded Nerman Fatic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the opening round, with a scoreline of 7-6 (7-1), 6-2.
Following his recent success at Heilbronn, the Indian has secured his spot in the singles event at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
(With PTI inputs)
