Sumit Nagal, the top-ranked male Indian singles player in tennis, scripted history on Monday, April 8, by becoming the first-ever male Indian singles player to win an ATP Masters 1000 match on clay.
Nagal defeated Italy's Matteo Arnaldi, ranked 38th in the world, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters in a match that lasted two hours and 37 minutes.
Nagal, who is ranked 93rd and is unseeded at the moment, registered his third career win over a top 50 ranked player, and his second in this season itself.
He will now face world No.7 Holger Rune in the second round of the tournament. Rune was the runner-up of last year's Monte Carlo Masters.
Nagal has been having an incredible year, making the right noise earlier in 2024 by stunning the-then world No.27 Alexander Bublik in the Australian Open.
Earlier, he overcame world No. 63 Flavio Cobolli (6-2, 6-3) and world No.53 Facundo Diaz Acosta (7-5, 2-6, 6-2) to qualify for the main draw. In the process, he became the first Indian to enter the Monte Carlo Masters' main draw since Ramesh Krishnan did so in 1982.