Sardegna Open ATP 250, Italy - April 5th to 11th 2021

[suresh]

Nice and easy win for Sumit. All the best for the main draw.

[jaydeep]

Wow, really a dominating win by Sumit against Janvier.

[prasen9]

Stebe lost, retired in the second set. Kovalik has not played yet. I hope he loses too.

[vparam]

Sumit will play Kovalik in the first round. Kovalik won a 3 hour marathon today to advance to the main draw.

[prasen9]

Kovalik is around 128 and Nagal is around 135. So, a small difference. Hope Sumit can bring his A-game and put Kovalik away.

[PKBasu]

So it will be the only qualifier ranked higher than Sumit:

[R1] Q-Sumit Nagal (IND, 136) vs. Q-Jozef Kovalik (SVK, 128)

Kovalik made the QF in the ATP Cordoba. But he lost in R1 at ATP Santiago to Nicholas Kicker (26 36), the guy who Sumit beat easily in the next round. Should be a close match that Sumit wins.

R2 opponent for the winner is 4th seed Nikoloz Bashilashvili (GEO, 38).

[arjun2761]

Nice decisive win by Sumit.

About as good a draw as you can get at the ATP level. Kovalik has that ATP QF at Cordoba but hasn't won much elsewhere this year. Looking ahead Basilashvili has a title at Doha but also has lost most of his other matches, including a couple of first round losses since the Doha win, so tough matchup but you would expect to face a seed at this round, so par for the course.

[jai_in_canada]

Basilashvili took 2 sets off Federer in a 500-level tournament. Nagal took 1 set of Federer in a Slam - which is equivalent to taking 2 sets in a 500-level tournament ( ). So by the law of projection, which works very well in tennis this will be a close one. Guess I shouldn't quit my day job to become a tennis analyst.

Sumit is exciting to watch and follow. He's a tough competitor who never gets intimidated by the situation or his opponent, gives it his all, and has the ability to back it up.

P.S. - Oops, I was jumping ahead by one round. Do well in R1, Sumit.

[RohitG]

We don't need to look elsewhere to get examples. Bedene faced a LL after winning R1 at Dubai against Yuki. So you never know these days, a player might just withdraw. Also, the winner of R1 goes in with 3 matches. Finally, Sumit will also be aware that Prajnesh has beaten Basilashvili at Indian Wells. He should back himself to go the distance, especially win tomorrow's match

[PKBasu]

The R1 match is the third one tomorrow (Tuesday) on the same Campo 14 where both Sumit and Kovalik played today (Monday). That Kovalik struggled through a 3-setter (winning via a couple of tiebreakers), while Sumit swept through his match in straight sets, suggests that Sumit will have the edge in their match on Tuesday, at least in freshness and energy.

[Sanjay]

Next match is winnable, and then the challenges start.

[PKBasu]

Wikipedia has it wrong, as it often does! The ATP and tournament website are clear that the winner of the Nagal-Kovalik match will meet Basilashvili in R2: http://www.protennislive.com/posting/2021/9481/mds.pdf

Neither Basilashvili nor Struff should be an insurmountable challenge for an in-form Sumit on clay. So I can see a clear path to the SF. But first things first in the first round.

[sameerph]

Sumit got an early break and then held to lead 2-0 . Had 2 breakpoints to go double break up and 3-0 up but Kovalic held. After that games have gone on serve with Sumit serving at 3-2

Sumit broken back for 3-3.

Sumit breaks again for 4-3.

Sumit holds and breaks again to take first set 6-3.

[sameerph]

Second set

Sumit saves 2 breakpoints and holds after a tough service game for 1-0.
Kovalic holds at 30.
1-1 Sumit broken at 30.
1-2 Kovalic holds at 30.
1-3 Sumit broken again at 30. Kovalic is now returning everything that Sumit is throwing at him and had cut down the unforced errors he was making in the first set. Challenge now for Sumit to rise up to this.
1-4 Kovalic holds at 30.
1-5 And got broken at love.
1-6

[sameerph]

The conditions have become very windy and Sumit seems to be struggling with it. Somehow he came back from 0-40 down and another break point down to hold for 1-1 in the third set just now.