The victory marks one of the most significant wins of Nagal’s career, propelling him into the second round of the Grand Slam tournament, where he will take on 18-year-old Chinese prodigy Shang Juncheng on Thursday.Ranked 137th in the world, Nagal secured a commanding three-set victory with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(5) amid the scorching heat of Melbourne in a wide-open court. With the match lasting two hours and 38 minutes, Nagal became the first Indian in 35 years to defeat a seeded player in a Grand Slam main draw.
Addressing the media on the back of a phenomenal opening day, Nagal expressed how he got the better of Kazakhstan World No. 27.
“To be honest, I was keeping my focus very narrow. I was trying to focus on myself as much as possible. Of course, there’s a scoreboard behind, you know what is going on. But I was really trying hard to do the things that I was supposed to do on the court and keep working on the tactics.”
This victory comes after Nagal’s notable Slam debut in the 2019 US Open against Roger Federer, where he took a set off the Swiss legend. In the 2020 US Open, Nagal became the first Indian to win a Grand Slam singles match since Somdev Devvarman in 2013. Speaking to TimesofIndia.com last October, Nagal revealed how hard he had worked for the 2024 campaign.
“It’s a very proud and happy moment, I would say, probably the second time in my career that I made a second round of a Slam, beating a seed for the first time. It was a very good match. I’m happy with the way I could perform today and carry the things that I was supposed to on the court and be able to get the win for myself,” added the Haryana-born tennis player.
The 26-year-old will take on China’s Juncheng Shang, who is currently ranked 140th in the world in the next round. And if he could go past the Chinese challenge, Nagal could earn himself a potential third-round clash against world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz.
However, Nagal is not thinking too much about the next round.
“As of now, I have not thought too much about the next round. I want this win to sink in. I want to take it easy today and then we’ll get to the preparation tomorrow and take it from there,” Nagal said.
