Sumit Nagal bows out of Tampere Open semifinal after a tough fight

Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal's quest for his first Challenger-level final of the season came to an end on Saturday, as he was defeated by France’s Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg in the semifinals of the Tampere Open in Finland.

Nagal, who is currently ranked 306 in the world, lost the clay court encounter 5-7, 2-6 to Wayenburg, who sits 57 places lower in the ATP rankings. This marks Nagal’s second semifinal finish in July, following a similar run in an event in Italy earlier this month.

To reach the semifinals, Nagal had defeated Argentine qualifier Nicolas Kicker in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals on Friday, improving his head-to-head record against Kicker to 2-1.

The opening set saw both players go neck-and-neck until 5-5. At 15-all, Nagal earned two breakpoints after a pair of unforced forehand errors by the Frenchman. But Wayenburg turned the tide with deep corner shots and an overhead smash to save the first breakpoint, while Nagal’s unforced error nullified the second.

Wayenburg eventually held serve and pressured Nagal to stay in the set. The Indian saved one set point with a powerful forehand down the line, but Wayenburg's smart play and deep returns forced Nagal onto the backfoot, securing the set with a well-placed overhead smash.

In the second set, Nagal missed early opportunities to break. At 30-all in the second game, a backhand error handed Wayenburg the crucial breakpoint, which he converted to take a 2-0 lead. The Frenchman kept the momentum going, frequently attacking the net and finishing points with aggressive volleys, quickly racing to a 3-0 advantage and maintaining control until the end.