Paris Olympics 2024: Sumit Nagal exits men's singles tennis

India's Sumit Nagal faced a tough exit from the Paris Olympics 2024 men's singles tennis competition, losing in the first round to French player Corentin Moutet in a tightly contested three-set match.

Despite showing resilience, Nagal was defeated 2-6, 6-4, 5-7 after two hours and 28 minutes of play on Court Seven at Roland Garros.

In his second Olympic appearance, Nagal managed to recover after dropping the first set but was ultimately unable to overcome Moutet, who used a variety of tactics to disrupt Nagal's baseline game. The match, characterized by strategic play from both sides, featured Moutet employing underarm serves, drop shots, and effective use of forehand and backhand slices.

Nagal had previously defeated Moutet earlier in the year at the Grand Prix of Hassan in Marrakesh, Morocco. However, in this match, he struggled to find a consistent response to Moutet's varied play, particularly the Frenchman's underarm serves and crowd-pleasing antics, which energized the local supporters.

The match began with Moutet breaking Nagal's serve early, setting the tone for the first set. Nagal had opportunities to break back but was unable to capitalize, allowing Moutet to take the first set. The second set saw Nagal finding his rhythm, managing to break Moutet's serve and level the match at one set each.

In the deciding set, Nagal initially took a 2-0 lead but failed to maintain the momentum, eventually losing the set and the match. Moutet, benefiting from home-court support, closed out the match, advancing to face either Australia's Alex de Minaur or Germany's Jan-Lenard Struff in the next round.

Nagal's defeat marks a disappointing end to his Olympic journey, as he was unable to progress beyond the first round. His exit follows a previous Olympic appearance where he was eliminated in the second round by Russian player Daniil Medvedev.