A slump in form does not in any way augur well for Sumit Nagal. (Photo credit: Getty)
India's Sumit Nagal bowed out of the 2025 French Open qualifiers after succumbing to Austria's Jurij Rodionov on Wednesday.
Nagal, India leading men's singles player and ranked 170 in the world, was beaten in round two of the qualifiers by the 225th ranked Austrian in straight sets 2-6, 4-6.
Nagal found the Austrian too hot to handle from the word go.
While the Indian did land a greater percentage of first serves in (82%) when compared to Rodionov (74%), winning points on serve proved to be a challenge.
After effecting twin breaks of serve, the Austrian ran away with a first set.
In the second set, however, Nagal did appear to find his footing and clawed his way back to level terms after being broken.
However, having to serve out to level the score at 5-5, the Indian failed to hold out.
This latest disappointment for Nagal comes on the heels of a string of unsuccessful outings on the tour - R32 exits at Challengers in Bordeaux, Prague and Monza across April and early May and a qualification exit at Marrakesh in March.
A slump in form does not in any way augur well for Nagal, who only last year was ranked in the world's top 100 and aiming to push further ahead in 2025.
