Tennis
Sumit Nagal reaches semifinals of ATP Challenger Trieste with gritty win over Maxim Mrva
Sumit Nagal advanced to the semifinals of the ATP Challenger in Trieste with a gritty three-set win over Maxim Mrva.
Sumit Nagal during his opening qualifying round at Wimbledon 2025. (Photo credit: Indian Tennis Daily)
India’s Sumit Nagal continued his red-hot form in the ATP Challenger Trieste, defeating Czech Republic’s rising star Maxim Mrva 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 to seal a spot in the semifinals.
After a blistering start where he broke Mrva twice in the opening set, Nagal was pushed in the second as the Czech player responded with solid returns and better court coverage. However, the Indian regrouped quickly to dominate the decider, showing poise and maturity in crunch moments.
The stats told the story of Nagal’s superior consistency, 74 total points won to Mrva’s 55, 7/8 break points converted compared to Mrva’s 4/5, 67% win on first serve and 56% on second serve. He also won 32 receiving points, underlining his excellent return game.
Though Nagal hit only 1 ace and committed 2 double faults, he stayed solid during long rallies and outmaneuvered Mrva in baseline exchanges. His maximum of 11 points in a row showed a sharp mental edge, especially in the third set.
With this victory, Nagal has now won five consecutive matches in Trieste, including a stunning upset over top seed Chun-Hsin Tseng in the opening round. He next faces Croatia’s Matej Dodig in the semifinals on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Indian is aiming for his first ATP Challenger final of 2025, as he builds toward a stronger finish in the second half of the season and eyes a return to the ATP Top 100.
