Sumit Nagal downs Klahn, becomes first Indian to win a round at Grand Slam in seven years
New York: Sumit Nagal became the first Indian tennis player to win a round at a Grand Slam in seven years when he downed American Bradley Klahn in his US Open first round, setting up a contest against world number three Dominic Thiem, here.
Returning to the Flushing Meadows where he took a set off Roger Federer last year, the Indian got past the local rival, ranked just a rung above the Indian at 126th in the world, 6-1 6-3 3-6 6-1 in two hours and 12 minutes on Tuesday night.
Somdev Devvarman was the last Indian to win a main draw match at a major and incidentally, it was at the US Open in 2013 when he beat Slovakia's Lukas Lacko after coming through qualifiers.
"I qualified for a junior Slam in 2013 here and then the men's and now to win my first round here means a lot. I enjoy playing here and it has worked out in my favour few times," Nagal told PTI.
"It was not easy to walk inside the court knowing this match is more in your favour. I was definitely nervous and especially playing for my first slam win but I did the things I was supposed to and kept my composure."
Somdev, who retired in January 2017, had reached the second rounds of Australian Open, French Open and US Open in 2013 apart from playing a second round at the Wimbledon in 2011 but never went beyond that.
After Somdev, Indian tennis saw the rise of Yuki Bhambri, Ramkumar Ramanathan and Prajnesh Gunneswaran but none of them could win a main draw round.
Ramkumar did not even qualify for a main draw in many attempts. Saketh Myneni qualified for US Open singles in 2016 but lost to Czech Republic's Jiri Vesely.
Bhambri had to cope with injuries and that halted his progress. Between 2015 and 2018 he competed all four majors but never crossed a round.
Nagal said Indian tennis should have done better and partly blamed it on the not-so-helpful "system" as well.
"In one way, yes (happy for major win) but in another way, we could do so much better. We have so many people playing this sport, we have great talent but no system, which makes me feel sad," the 23-year-old said without elaborating much.
Up next for him will be Austria's top player Thiem, who advanced when his Spanish rival Jaume Munar retired before the start of the third set. Thiem was leading 7-6(6) 6-3 when Munar found it difficult to continue as he injured his knee during the second set.
A fierce fighter, Nagal hardly cares for reputations and is expected to make it tough for the world number three on Thursday.
"I am ready and excited to play him. It's going to be fun and (I will) see where I stand in terms of my tennis level," he said.
Nagal came here after playing on clay courts like the last year. It appears making the surface switch comes easily to him. Nagal made the quarterfinals of the Prague Open, played on red dirt, in the lead up to the US Open.
"Courts here are nice and bouncy. I mean it is a little fast this year but last year it was nice. I think it's not even about adapting anymore. It's just about match-ups and how your game works on different type of surfaces," he said.
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Putin in close contact with Gulf leaders to facilitate de-escalation: Kremlin
Moscow (PTI): Russian President Vladimir Putin is making all possible efforts to de-escalate the crisis in the Gulf and is in close contact with the regional leaders as Iran is retaliating with massive strikes on the US facilities and infrastructure on their territories, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
The US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran on Saturday, assassinating 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside family members, including his daughter and grandchildren. Since then, Iran has targeted multiple US bases in the surrounding Gulf States.
"Putin will certainly make every effort to facilitate at least a minor easing of tensions. In this regard, we discussed with virtually all of our interlocutors yesterday," the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"Taking advantage of the dialogue we maintain with the Iranian leadership, (President) Putin will convey his deep concern regarding the strikes on their infrastructure to our colleagues in Iran," he added.
According to the Kremlin, Putin spoke by telephone with leaders of Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
In his telephonic conversation with Crown Prince and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, Putin discussed the escalating situation in the region as a result of the American-Israeli armed aggression against Iran.
“Both sides expressed serious concern over the real risks of escalation of the conflict, which has already affected several Arab countries and is fraught with catastrophic consequences. In this context, Vladimir Putin underscored the urgent need to resolve the current extremely dangerous situation through political and diplomatic means,” the Kremlin said.
On Monday, Putin also had telephonic contacts with the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who currently chairs the Gulf Cooperation Council, Emir of the State of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“Exchange of views was held regarding the unprecedented escalation around Iran as a result of US and Israeli aggression, which is bringing the entire region to the brink of a full-scale war with unpredictable consequences. Sides underscored the need for a swift cessation of hostilities to prevent the situation from spiralling completely out of control and to return it to a political and diplomatic framework,” the Kremlin said.
The current developments, in particular, threaten the security of many Arab states with which Russia maintains friendly relations.
Given this, President Putin reaffirmed Russia's readiness to use all available means to actively contribute to stabilising the situation in the region, the Kremlin said, adding that contacts with the Gulf leaders will continue.
