PARIS: The top Indian singles player Sumit Nagal’s French Open debut ended with a defeat against big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov, who overpowered the Indian in straight sets on Monday.
Nagal struggled to match the power and range of his fancied rival, losing 2-6, 0-6, 6-7(5) in the opening round.
The rain before the match had made the court a bit slower and more suitable for longer rallies. It was a fiery start from the Indian but the Russian had the first break of the match when he broke Nagal in game three.
Nagal, though, did well to come back from 0-40 to save three breakpoints. However, looking for a wide forehand, he made an unforced error to hand his rival the first break of the match. Rain interrupted the match and resumed after a 21 minute-break. The Russian came out firing on all cylinders as Nagal found it difficult to match the power of Khachanov. It was effortless hitting from the Russian, which Nagal failed to counter though third set was well contested. (Agencies)
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