Star Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal earned a huge victory over former World Number 16 Nikoloz Basilashvili in the Round of 32 at the Heilbronner Neckarcup underway in Germany.
The 26-year-old Nagal posted a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 triumph over the Georgian to move into the Ro16 at the Heilbronn event.
The Indian was on top of his game as he converted five of his seven break points to seal the win over Basilashvili. Nagal got the early advantage as he picked the opening set off his opponent in a dominating fashion before the Georgian struck back with a vengeance to level the fixture with a win in the second set.
As the result game boiled down to the third and deciding set the Indian held his own and managed to pull off a 6-3 win in the final set to claim the win and progress in the ATP Challenger event.
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Nagal had started the year off with a bang as he hit the headlines for battling past the highly-rated Alexander Bublik in the first round of the Australian Open after having made his way through the qualification rounds.
He went down to Shang Juncheng in the second round of the year’s first grand slam event. However, he carried the momentum from the statement win into the next tournament he played as he picked up the title at the Challenger event in Chennai.
He had another deep run in the Bengaluru Challenger as he made it to the semifinals before being ousted by Italian Stefano Neopolitano.
But, his form took a hit as he faced a series of early eliminations in the following tournament as he was ousted early at the Pune Challenger, Dubai Tennis Championships, Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, Hassan Grand Prix, Monte Carlo Masters, Bordeaux Challenger, Geneva Open and the French Open.
His win over the Georgian could prove to be a shot in the arm for the player who demonstrates great promise and exceptional talent. Nagal is slated to take on Javier Barranco Cosano of Spain in the Ro16 on Thursday.