Tennis at Tokyo Olympics: Indian challenge ends as Sumit Nagal loses to Daniil Medvedev in second round
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Daniil Medvedev and Sumit Nagal
It is curtains down for the Indian tennis team at Tokyo Olympics as Sumit Nagal lost his second round match to second seed Daniil Medvedev on Monday. The Russian thrashed Nagal in straight sets 6-2,6-1 to reach the Round of 16 at the Olympics.
Medvedev is one of the strongest contender to win a medal this week and is the biggest threat to Novak Djokovic. To add, he has been in amazing form on the hardcourts since last year, winning the Paris Masters, ATP Finals and also reached the final of the Australian Open earlier this year.
Meanwhile, with Nagal’s exit, the Indian challenge has ended for the time being. Yesterday, the women’s doubles of Sania Mirza and Ankita Raina also lost in the first round. The only outside chance India might have is if Nagal and Mirza get a slot for the mixed doubles event.
As for Nagal’s much, the difference between him and Medvedev was visible right from the start. Medvedev didn’t play his best tennis initially but was still the better player on court. He just served well and kept the ball in play from the baseline. Nagal’s unforced errors helped him take the opening break upfront. The Indian was proving his mettle once a while, hitting winners Medvedev had no answers for, but was very inconsistent. The Russian broke his serve again and ran away with the set 6-2.
The start of the second set had Medvedev painted all over the court. The Russian won points from awkward positions and showcased his class. Nagal had his moments at times, but he just didn’t have a game to match Medvedev’s baseline strokes. The Indian managed to win just 1 game and lost the set 1-6.
Medvedev will now face Italian 15th seed Fabio Fognini in the Round of 16.
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Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)