Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal achieved a historic victory at the Australian Open 2024 by defeating ATP World No. 27 Alexander Bublik in straight sets, securing his place in the second round.
Nagal displayed dominance in the first two sets, winning convincingly with scores of 6-4 and 6-2. While the third set presented an intense contest, Nagal ultimately emerged triumphant, clinching the victory with a 7-6 tie-breaker.
In a dramatic turn of events, Bublik managed to level the score at 5-5 in the third set after Nagal initially had a 5-3 advantage.
The Indian player's chance to serve for the match slipped away as Bublik forced a tie-breaker. Nagal, however, maintained composure and secured a 7-5 victory, marking the first instance since 1989 that an Indian player defeated a seeded opponent in a Grand Slam.
Sumit Nagal's qualification for the second round stands as a historic achievement in Indian tennis.
In men's singles events at the Australian Open, the furthest reached by an Indian player was the third round. Ramesh Krishnan, a tennis legend, accomplished this feat five times in the 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, and 1989 editions, notably defeating world No. 1 Mats Wilander in 1989.
While Vijay Amritraj reached the second round in 1984, and Leander Paes achieved it in 1997 and 2000, recent Indian tennis history witnessed Somdev Devvarman qualifying for the second round at the 2013 Australian Open.