New Delhi: India’s top-ranked singles star Sumit Nagal retired hurt from his second round qualifying match against Juan Manuel Cerundolo in Argentina Open. Ranked 105th in rankings, Nagal retired when he was 0-1 down in the third set against Cerundolo at the ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires, losing 6-3, 6-7 (5), 0-1.
Nagal had beaten World No.183 Juan Pablo Ficovich 6-7(4) 6-2 7-6(4) in the first round of qualifiers to set up a date with Cerundolo.
It was Nagal’s first win against Ficovich in three meetings to book a clash against World No. 104 Cerundolo in the final qualifying round.
Nagal had taken a medical timeout in the deciding set but couldn’t continue, though no immediate information was available on his injury and the extent of it.
Shapovalov beats Ruud to lift Dallas Open
Denis Shapovalov was at his best as he defeated second-seeded Casper Ruud 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the final of the Dallas Open for his third career title and first ATP 500-level crown.
The left-hander defeated top three seeds to win the tournament, getting the better of top seed and World No. 4 Taylor Fritz in the second round, stunning third-seeded and World No. 9 Tommy Paul in the semifinals and then Ruud in the title clash.
“I just felt like I had to go for it against Casper. Obviously he’s a super-tough opponent. I was swinging away trying to really play tough. I tried to play to win today,” Shapovalov told the Canadian Press.
“I felt like I really tried to go for my serves, not hold back, but play smart obviously and work the points by really playing to win and really going for my shots.
“I got a little bit lucky with some good passes and I was able to serve really (well) in that tiebreak.”
After his victory, Shapovalov will jump up 22 slots to No. 32 when the ATP world rankings to be in his highest spot since September 2023.
He became the first player in six years to win against three top-10 players in a single ATP 250 or 500 event and the first since Nick Kyrgios did it in in Acapulco in 2019, when he defeated Rafael Nadal, John Isner and Alexander Zverev.
“You have to play aggressively — especially me. I feel like that’s where I excel and that’s where I’m able to play my best tennis. I’m happy that I’ve been able to do it consistently over a few matches this week,” Shapovalov said.
“It’s definitely not easy to keep that up against tough opponents. It’s definitely a great title for me.”
Nagal retired hurt in the third set against Juan Manuel Cerundolo, having won against Juan Pablo Ficovich in the first round of qualifiers at the ATP 250 event in Buenos Aires. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
