The energetic marketing campaign of India’s high males’s singles participant Sumit Nagal got here to an finish on the Bengaluru Open on Saturday after a tough-fought loss towards Italy’s Stephano Napolitano in the semifinals on the KSLTA Tennis Stadium right here. Nagal, who had received the Chennai Open ATP Challenger final week, tried his finest towards the Italian however fell brief in the 7-6(2), 6-4 loss.
The 26-yr-outdated from Delhi began sturdy as he opened up a 4-1 lead in the opening set earlier than Napolitano started his fightback. The Italian saved a few break factors together with his large serves in the sixth recreation after which instantly broke the Indian participant’s serve to place the strain again on the house favorite.
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Napolitano once more broke Nagal in the ninth recreation to take the lead for the primary time however the second-seeded Indian responded with a break instantly in the subsequent recreation because the set went right into a tiebreak. It was the Italian who prevailed in the tiebreak as Nagal misplaced a set for the primary time in 9 matches.
The second set was an equally intense affair with Nagal drawing first blood when he broke Napolitano’s serve in the fifth recreation. The Italian, nevertheless, restored parity in the very subsequent recreation to make it 3-3. With the momentum in Napolitano’s favour, Nagal serve was once more beneath strain in the eighth recreation, however he managed to save lots of a few break factors to remain in the match.
However, Napolitano managed to discover a well beyond Nagal’s serves two video games later to place an finish to India’s hopes in the singles class. The Italian will now face South Korea’s Seongchan Hong, who acquired the higher of Spain’s Oriol Roca Batalla 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in the opposite semifinal.
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Earlier, the 2017 Bengaluru Open champion Nagal, who broke into the highest-100 ATP rating final week, was honoured earlier than the semifinal conflict by KSLTA Sr Vice President Priyank M Kharge in the presence of KSLTA Secretary Maheshwar Rao, IAS, and Tournament Director Sunil Yajaman. He was additionally given a cheque of Rs 5 lakh in recognition of his excellent efficiency.
The Bengaluru Open is being organised by the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) with the ultimate of the occasion to be performed on February 18.
