Sumit Nagal.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Indian Wells, US: Indian tennis ace Sumit Nagal went down to South Korea's Seong-chan Hong after putting up a spirited fight in the final qualifying round of Indian Wells Masters here.
The 26-year-old Nagal lost 6-2, 2-6, 6-7 (4-7) on Tuesday.
Earlier, Nagal brushed past the challenge of American wildcard Stefan Dostanic in straight sets in his first outing at the Indian Wells Masters on Monday.
The India No. 1 singles player beat Dostanic in straight sets 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the qualifying.
And while Nagal may have lost to Hong, he assured himself of 10 ranking points and $14,400 prize money by making the final qualifying round.
Nagal recently made history by becoming the first Indian men's singles player in a decade to advance to the second round of the Australian Open.
He also won the Chennai Challengers title, entering the top-100 rankings following the triumph. However, he suffered reverses in Pune and Dubai.