Sumit Nagal’s US Open campaign comes to an end in the opening round of qualifying after a straight-set defeat to top seed Arthur Gea of France.
Nagal fought hard in the second set but eventually went down 3-6, 6-7(4) as Gea converted the crucial moments to advance to the second round.
How Nagal Got Into the Draw
Nagal was not originally in the qualifying field. His ranking had slipped, which kept him out of the qualifying draws at the 2025 US Open, the 2026 Australian Open, the 2026 French Open and Wimbledon 2026. He got a late spot as an alternate after Jack Draper withdrew from the tournament, ending a run of four missed majors.
He arrived in New York ranked around No. 239, after a steady climb back from outside the top 300 for much of 2025. His results this season included the Târgu Mureș Challenger title in June and a semifinal in Liberec in early August.
Match in Focus
Against Arthur Gea, the world No. 86 from France and the top seed in qualifying, Nagal had his chances early. He could not convert four break points in Gea’s first two service games, and later had a set point on Gea’s serve in the second set before Gea took the tiebreak 7-4. The match lasted one hour and 54 minutes.
What It Means
Nagal was the only Indian in the men’s singles qualifying draw, so his exit means India will have no singles player in the main draw. Two years ago, Nagal reached a career-high ranking of 68 — read about that milestone in our report on Nagal’s career-high ATP ranking. Rebuilding his ranking through the Challenger circuit will be the priority for the rest of the season.
