US Open: Sumit Nagal takes a set from Roger Federer before exiting
New York: The fighting spirit shone through in Sumit Nagal's dream Grand Slam debut as he took a set off the iconic Roger Federer before fizzling out at the US Open, here.
In the much-anticipated clash, the 22-year old from Jhajjar lost 4-6 6-1 6-2 6-4 after giving a glimpse of his talent at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday night.
Nagal became only the fourth Indian to win a set in the main draw of a Grand Slam in the last 20 years. What made it special was that it came against Federer, a colossal figure with 20 Grand Slams to his credit.
Only Somdev Devvarman, Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni have managed to win a set in a Grand Slam main draw before Nagal, in the last two decades.
Nagal, who made the main draw through qualifying, returns from the US Open not only richer by USD 58,000 but also with the experience of what it takes to compete at the biggest stage.
"It was a tough first set for me. He played pretty strong so credit to him. I was missing a lot of balls so I was trying to cut down the unforced errors. Hopefully it will get better," said Federer.
The Swiss let out a firm "No" when asked if he felt for a second that it was 'Nadal' and not 'Nagal' if the name of his rival on the scoreboard had a 'D' instead of a 'G'.
"For you guys and social media, it is," he quipped.
"I was rusty, I will shake it off," said Federer.
Federer endured a shaky start to the match but for Nagal it was the best he would have felt on a tennis court.
The Indian stunned the crowd by breaking Federer's serve in the third game with the Swiss committing a double fault on the second breakpoint.
While a "rusty" Federer was still measuring up his newest rival, ranked 190 in the ATP charts, Nagal, with his deep returns, was setting up winners -- some eye-catching inside-out forehands.
While many would not have expected such a sight, Nagal further shocked the crowd when he broke Federer for the second time and served out the set after being down 0-30.
Hitting deep returns and going for his shots fearlessly and not allowing Federer to come on to the net were key to Nagal's first-set exploits even as the Swiss struggled to contain his unforced errors.
Federer had 19 unforced errors to 9 of Nagal in the opener.
The anticipation grew but Federer shook off the rustiness to dismantle Nagal's game after that. He began serving well, if not his best, and dictated the play with his strong returns, killing points at will at the net.
In no time, he zoomed to a 5-0 lead in the second set and served it out in the seventh but not before Nagal had saved six set points and also earned two break chances.
Nagal was still fighting but Federer was too hot to handle.
The pattern remained the same in the third and fourth sets with Nagal getting a good point here and there but it was largely one-way traffic.
The 20-time Grand Slam Champion came out to serve the match in the 10th but was down 0-40 with Nagal making some solid returns. After saving five breakpoints, Federer closed the match with a strong serve on Nagal's backhand.
After fighting hard for two hours and 25 minutes, Nagal had earned some fans and he walked out of the Artur Ashe Stadium signing a few autographs and to a loud applause.
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3 US troops killed, 5 seriously wounded during Iran attacks, military says
Washington (AP): Three American service members have been killed and five others seriously wounded during the US attacks on Iran, the military said Sunday, marking the first American casualties in a major offensive that has sparked retaliation from the Islamic Republic.
US Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, announced the deaths in a post on X but did not say when and where they occurred. The statement said “several others sustained minor shrapnel injuries and concussions” and were going to return to duty.
Central Command described the situation “as fluid” and said it would withhold the identities of the service members who were killed for 24 hours after their families were notified.
The US military also denied Iranian claims that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was struck with ballistic missiles, saying on X that the “missiles launched didn't even come close.”
President Donald Trump had warned that American troops could be killed or injured in the operation.
“The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties,” the Republican president said in a video address released early Saturday. “That often happens in war. But we're doing this not for now. We're doing this for the future.”
Following the US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other leaders, Iran's counterattacks have struck US bases in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has threatened to launch its “most intense offensive operation” ever targeting Israeli and American military installations.
Before the strikes, Trump had built up the largest US military presence in the Middle East in decades. The arrival of the Lincoln and three accompanying guided-missile destroyers at the end of January bolstered the number of warships in the region.
The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and four accompanying destroyers later were dispatched from the Caribbean Sea to head to the Middle East.
The Ford was part of the US raid in Venezuela that captured leader Nicolás Maduro, who was brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges. The operation in January claimed no American lives but left seven US troops with gunshot wounds and shrapnel-related injuries.
One of those injured received the Medal of Honor during Trump's State of the Union address last week. Trump said Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Eric Slover piloted the lead CH-47 Chinook helicopter that descended on the “heavily protected military fortress” where Maduro was staying.
Trump has launched several military operations during his second term, including strikes on members of the Islamic State group in Syria in retaliation for an ambush attack that killed two US troops and an American civilian interpreter in December.
The US military has also struck IS forces in Nigeria, after Trump accused the West African country's government of failing to rein in the targeting of Christians.
