Sumit Nagal thread

[sameerph]

Looks like next week is off for Sumit. In the 2 weeks after that has entered with his PR at challengers in Ecuador and Uruguay.

[jayakris]

Still no news on the Guayaquil challenger in Ecuador. Sumit was in the entry list with his PR ranking, and Balaji/Jeevan were the top team in the doubles list. Unusual that even the qualifying draw from there has not been posted by ATP.

[jayakris]

Looks like even the Q1 is starting only on Monday, so the draw came out only now

At the Challenger 80 in Guayaquil, Ecuador (Clay):

[R1] (PR) Sumit Nagal (IND,526) vs Daniel Dutra da Silva (BRA,238)

[jayakris]

Well, everybody else (RamK, Gunner, Mukund, Sid, Sahaja, Riya) have lost this week, and we are really done in singles in pro events abroad, except for Sumit who is yet to play. His R1 against Daniel Dutra Da Silva (BRA,238) at Guayaquil will start around 3:30 to 4:30 pm there Wednesday evening. Early Thursday 2 to 3 am in India.

[jayakris]

Sumit's match stream - https://www.atptour.com/en/atp-challeng ... 2/7391/all

Sumit is up two breaks early, converting both the BPs he got. 4-0... He wins the set rather uneventfully, 6-2...

16-shot rally and an excellent inside-out forehand winner to the box corner at the first AD out BP for another break. Leads 1-0 in the second. Holds after winning a 28-shot rally at 30-30.. 3-1... Breaks the Brazilian once more at AD out, for 4-1... Wins four points from 15-40 2BP to hold, 5-1... Now a DF from a dejected DDDS and two dazzling dart returns from Sumit and it is another break at 15 for the match!

At the Challenger 80 in Guayaquil, Ecuador (Clay):

[R1] (PR) Sumit Nagal (IND,526) d. Daniel Dutra da Silva (BRA,238), 62 61
so
[R2] (PR) Sumit Nagal (IND,526) vs Nicolas Kicker (ARG,207)

[arjun2761]

Good win by Sumit! Now he has a decent chance against Kicker who he beat a few years ago and 30 year old Kicker appears to be on a slow decline after peaking inside the top 100 a few years ago.

[prasen9]

Sumit will make Kicker realize he is playing the wrong sport and that he should try football.

[jayakris]

^^ That gives me a kick

The Sumit match stream - https://www.atptour.com/en/atp-challeng ... 2/7391/all

Kicker is really whacking the ball hard... and accurately too. SM broken after a deuce, 0-2... Both are playing well, but SM's serve looks really quite weak today. But SM forces a 15-40 2BP, and hits a return really hard to get the break back. 1-2 on serve... Now SM down 0-40 after a couple of poor serves and a mishit into the net. Gets upset and screams at himself. Drops serve at 15-40, for 1-3... Sumit saves three BPs at 1-4, but is trying to do a little too much in his shots. A bit over-anxious and making errors from that. Argues about a call that caused the next BP, and it goes on and on with the umpire, who finally says "stop talking, just play". WHY DO OUR GUYS DO THIS??? I knew that he would get mad and hit a shot too hard after that. Did just that, into the net. Drops serve again after all that work. 1-5 down and Kicker serves it off at love. 1-6

It seems Sumit calmed himself down after a toilet break. Holds and then plays some steady tennis to force Kicker into errors, and breaks him at 30-40... 2-0 up in the second. Holds serve at 40-30 with an impressive forehand on the third shot. He wrong-footed Kicker twice in that game with quick forehands. 3-0... More forehands followed from Sumit but NK save one BP and held 3-1... Excellent retrieval shots after running like a mad man, to get to 30-0, and Sumit holds, 4-1... Now, some really intelligent tennis from Sumit. He knows that Kicker has lost a bit of the zip in his shots, and does not hurry anything. Hits some slower deep loops and Kicker can't handle that. Breaks him at 15-40, and it is 5-1... And just when I thought it was going too well, Sumit plays two lazy points, hits a couple into the net for no reason, and Kicker gets a no-call on an FHCC to the line. SM broken; 5-2... NK holds at love 5-3... A nice retrieval lob, but NK hits it for a winner for 30-30... A vigorous 17 shot rally for 40-30 MP, and Sumit converts it on a ball that was out from NK, who argues a bit. We are even. 1-6 6-3

Kicker is again whacking the ball well, after a toilet break. He holds at love. I think one really good FHCC winner by Sumit made somebody go "Oh God". The ump made an announcement, which may have been about making sounds when the ball is still in play... But he is down 30-40 BP after a superb winner down the line by NK after a 14 shot rally. Then he took something off on a ball and forced Sumit to hit one into the net. Broken. 0-2 now. Yikes. Kicker holds at 40-30 after a return winner from Sumit, but didn't get the a no-call there on a really good backhand retrieval shot that may have hit the corner. He is not happy, but it is 0-3... SN holds serve with his third ace and two drop shots (one of which worked). 1-3... That loopy ball to the backhand corner to NK works again, followed by some forehand heat at the next point. 15-40 2BP and Sumit converts the second after hitting a potential winner to the net first. All even, back on serve at 2-3... A really good 13-shot rally and FH winner for 40-30, but a DF makes it deuce... One short ball (which is rare) from sumit, and it id AD out BP. He held tough in a 15 shot exchange; deuce. Crap; he tried that drop shot (which didn't work earlier in this game) once more. AD out BP. Great service winner. Deuce. Man, what a baseline duel with shots right to the chalk by both... AD in... Doesn't get a line-call. Deuce again. Great work by NK in an 8-shot rally; drop shot worked but he hit it for a winner. AD out BP again. Terrific backhand winner by kicker, and he gets the break. Yikes. 2-4... Now NK serves his first two DFs of the match and it is 15-40 2BP. Saves one. Oh, SM almost hit a running winner on the next. But deuce. SM charges the net and drops a volley in; nice! AD out BP again. But he nets the next point, so deuce again. NK's first ace of the match. Ad in. He hits one out; deuce. Damn, will one of you guys win this game??... Finally SM gets his 4th BP there and hits a return to NK's feet and he hits back long. We are even again on serve. 3-4.... Come on, on SM' serve, the ump goes and checks the mark and makes an out call on an SM winner for 15-40 2BP... SM saves one, 30-40 BP... NK hits one into the net, and we have deuce again. Service winner, Ad in. Another SM service winner for a great escape there... 4-4... Kicker holds at 15 after another umpire check at the line went against SM. 4-5 and SM serving to stay in the match. SM 30-0; tries some S&V but nets the volley 30-30... Phew, a netchord, I think. 40-30... Nice serve again (he had a service winner earlier in this game too; serving well from second set onward)... 5-5. SM is not getting any line call help. NK is up 40-0 but SM takes 3 points and it is deuce yet again. After Ad in, an IOFH from Sumit deuce. Finally NK holds with 2 nice shots to the lines. 5-6 and Sumit serving to extend the match.... 40-0, but now deuce after he hits two shots into the net and DFs once too... Yikes. Dirt kicked up and got into his eyes and affected him, I think. A mishit and then a great drop by Kicker. Over.

I have NO IDEA what the heck happend to Sumit in those final 5 points after being up at 40-0 at 5-6. He just gave the match away. That was inexplicable CHOKING by him and he is not known for that. But he choked the match away. Plain and simple. After all that hard work for almost three hours (2 hr 55 min). I am sick of this from our players.

[R2] (PR) Sumit Nagal (IND,526) l. Nicolas Kicker (ARG,207), 16 63 57

[jayakris]

Kicker was playing at the level of his ranking, or may be a bit better. Somewhere around top-200 level. Sumit was playing at that level too; no doubt. But he was simply not positive enough in the match to try to win it.

Sumit needs to believe in himself, or he is not going to get better. Right now, he believes in himself only in fighting back once behind. Not in winning it. He is so much better than his recent results show. But he has almost run out of PR entries and has only come up to around 475.

[prashanthm]

Bummer bummer! A close one in the end, but a loss is a loss...

[sameerph]

Kicker was playing at the level of his ranking, or may be a bit better. Somewhere around top-200 level. Sumit was playing at that level too; no doubt. But he was simply not positive enough in the match to try to win it.

Sumit needs to believe in himself, or he is not going to get better. Right now, he believes in himself only in fighting back once behind. Not in winning it. He is so much better than his recent results show. But he has almost run out of PR entries and has only come up to around 475.

Sumit is at #500 right now in live rankings. I think only 2-3 PR's left now.


Kicker has won a clay challenger and reached another challenger final this year. So, he is definitely playing close to top 150 level. Sumit is mostly close to top 200 level. So, maybe that difference showed up in the result in the end.

[sameerph]

But he choked the match away. Plain and simple. After all that hard work for almost three hours (2 hr 55 min). I am sick of this from our players.

Jay, receive a message from Vatsal who is in touch with Sumit. Vatsal is unable to post here due to password issues. Sumit had Covid last week and could not move well and had breathing issues. So, it was really good of him to have put up such a gallant fight.

[prashanthm]

I think that background info coupled with the result makes a lot more sense. Thanks for sharing Sameer!

[jayakris]

Jay, receive a message from Vatsal who is in touch with Sumit. Vatsal is unable to post here due to password issues. Sumit had Covid last week and could not move well and had breathing issues. So, it was really good of him to have put up such a gallant fight.

Oh boy! Jesus, then it was an incredible show by him yesterday. Must have just got disgusted at everything conspiring against him. Check out the sudden wind kicking up dirt on to him just before he double faulted at 5-6 in the third in the archival video. There were also noisy people milling around in the corridor to the left and the Ump had to make an announcement during that game, iirc. Then I can understand how the bad final 5 points happened. Covid, breathing trouble, dirt, noise, an ump he was arguing with, and a hard-fighter of an opponent... He must have lost it.

But I cannot believe he played so well, under the circumstances. This was an energy-sapping baseline duel. Get well fast, Sumit!

[jayakris]

Vatsal is unable to post here due to password issues.

Can you ask him to simply join back with a new name Vatsal2022 or something and check back in here once in a while. We miss vatsal.