Sumit Nagal wins Rome Challenger, ends title wait

Ending a four-year Challenger title drought, Sumit Nagal won the Rome Challenger (ATP Roma Garden Open) beating Jesper De Jong 6-3, 6-2 in the final on the clay courts of the Italian capital on Sunday.

Capping off an impressive week in which he came through the qualifiers and played seven matches in eight days, the 347th-ranked Indian was clinical against the world No. 234 Dutchman. Dropping just two sets all week, Nagal took out the 4th seeded Italian Francesco Maestrelli (world No. 172) and 8th seed Joris De Loore (198) of Belgium along the way.

With this title, Nagal, who reached a career high 122 in 2020, is expected to jump almost 100 places to 254th in the latest ATP rankings. The last Indian to win an ATP Challenger singles title was Ramkumar Ramanathan in Bahrain in November 2021.

This is the 25-year-old Nagal’s third Challenger title, and first since his Buenos Aires triumph in September 2019. Since then, Nagal became only the first man since Somdev Devvarman to win a Grand Slam singles match, at the 2020 US Open, before a hip surgery in late 2021 sidelined him for more than six months.

His progress derailed, Nagal struggled to regain his level, rhythm and movement on court after the lengthy injury layoff. Showing sparks of old during the ATP 250 in Pune and India’s Davis Cup away tie against Denmark this year, the start of the home stretch of Challengers brought more positive signs. Nagal, training and staying with coach Devvarman, advanced to the semi-final of the Chennai Challenger in February.

“Right now, I probably feel the best that I’ve felt in a year or two, since 2019,” Nagal said then. “I’m feeling good on the court, moving well, fighting well. So, I believe I’m on the right path again.”