Tennis at Tokyo Olympics 2020: Sumit Nagal vs Denis Istomin Preview, Head to Head and Prediction
Follow Us
Sumit Nagal vs Denis Istomin
In the first round of the Men’s Singles at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, World No. 160 Sumit Nagal from India will be up against World No. 197 Denis Istomin from Uzbekistan.
Sumit Nagal vs Denis Istomin: Match Details
| Tournament | 2020 Tokyo Olympics |
| Match | Sumit Nagal vs Denis Istomin |
| Round | First Round |
| Date | 24 July 2021 |
| Venue | Tokyo, Japan |
| Surface | Hard Court |
Sumit Nagal vs Denis Istomin: Preview
Sumit Nagal will be the only representative in the Singles event from India. Sumit has been majorly involved in the Challenger tournaments and had a few main-draw appearances in the ATP tournaments. He has played majorly on Clay this year and has played only 2 matches on Hardcourts, 1st round appearances at the 2021 Australian Open and 2021 Murray River Open.
Nagal has travelled to Tokyo from the ATP 500 Hamburg Open where he entered the main-draw from the qualifying stages. He came close to making his debut at the 2021 French Open but was defeated in the 2nd qualifying round, denying him a chance to make it into his 2nd Grand Slam of the year.
Denis Istomin will be playing in the 3rd Olympic Games of his career when he takes the court against Nagal. Denis made his Olympics debut at the 2012 London Olympics where he made it to the Round of 16 before being defeated by eventual silver medallist Roger Federer. He however lost in his 1st round clash at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Istomin, similar to Nagal, has been a regular on the Challenger level with only the 2021 French Open being a non-challenger tournament where he reached the main-draw. Istomin was defeated in the first round again by Roger Federer at the Roland Garros. He earned his qualification directly after winning the Gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games.
Sumit Nagal vs Denis Istomin: Head to Head
This will be the first meeting between the duo, hence the head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Sumit Nagal vs Denis Istomin: Prediction
Sumit will come into the clash with a career Hardcourt record of 74-51. He has played just 2 matches on the surface this year losing both and has spent his season playing on Clay. His season record is currently at 18-17. Denis will take the court with a career Hardcourt record of 266-160 and is 1-3 on the surface this season. It has been a difficult season for him as he is currently 14-19 across all surfaces.
While both the players have not registered great numbers on the Hardcourts this season, the match could go either way. However, going by the ranking, Sumit Nagal looks to advance ahead but it won’t be an easy match for the Indian.
Prediction: Sumit Nagal to win in 3-sets.
Also Read: Tennis at Tokyo Olympics 2020: Men’s Singles Draw Preview, Analysis and Prediction
Stay Updated!
Sarthak Shitole
(3462 Articles Published)