Sumit Nagal going strong on clay, stuns higher-ranked Matteo Arnaldi

Monte Carlo, April 8

Sumit Nagal today became the first Indian player to win a singles main draw match at an ATP Masters event on clay when he shocked world No. 38 Matteo Arnaldi in a gruelling three-set contest here.

Nagal, who entered the ATP Masters 1000 event via qualifying route, erased a one-set deficit to turn the tables on his Italian opponent for a memorable 5-7 6-2 6-4 win in the first round. He will next take on world No. 7 Holger Rune from Denmark.

3 This is Sumit Nagal’s third victory over a top-50 player and second time this season

13 With 13 straight match-wins, this is Collins’ longest tour-level streak of her career

This is Nagal’s third victory over a top-50 player and second time this season.

Nagal, who made the main draw with wins over higher-ranked players, has ensured himself a career-high ranking of 80.

The first set was on an even keel with both players breaking each other once. Serving to stay in the set, Nagal lost his serve in the 12th game with Arnaldi attacking the Indian’s first serve.

However, Nagal remained unperturbed and broke his rival twice in the second set for a comfortable 4-1 lead. His serve came under pressure in Game 6 but he held and closed the set to force a decider.

After trading a break with Arnaldi, Nagal broke his rival’s serve for the second time in the seventh game of the third set to take a 4-3 lead and that proved to be decisive in the final outcome of the match. He consolidated the lead by pocketing the eighth game and served out the match in the 10th game. — PTI

Beware of the ‘Danimal’

Charleston: Danielle Collins is loaded with confidence and belief in what she can accomplish in her final season after following her Miami Open title with the Charleston Open championship on Sunday.

Collins powered past 11th-ranked Daria Kasatkina for a 6-2 6-1 victory Sunday, her career-best 13th straight match win as she became the first since Serena Williams in 2013 to follow a hardcourt victory at Miami with one on the green clay of Charleston.

“I’m just trying to keep this train rolling,” Collins said after winning her fourth WTA title. No one’s been more dominant the past two weeks than the “Danimal,” the nickname she coined when she signed up for Instagram out of college. AP