India's Sumit Nagal defeated Dalibor Svrcina 6-4, 7-5 in the final to win the ATP Challenger event on the clay courts of Tampere, Finland on Sunday.
This was Nagal's fourth ATP Challenger title and second of the year. He had won the Garden Open in Rome in April to end a four-year Challenger title drought.
With his latest Challenger title win, Nagal broke back into the top-200 for the first time since September 2021. Having started the year ranked 503, and last week at 231, the Indian is now placed at 178 in the latest ATP rankings, which were released on Monday.
MORE: Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat make the cut for Asian Games
The 25-year-old had opened his campaign in Tampere, with a solid 6-4, 6-1 win over former top-40 player Jiri Vesely. Seeded seventh at the event, Nagal got through tough three-setters against Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva in the second round and Daniel Rincon in the semi-final to make the title clash.
Though the Indian started slowly, trailing his Czech opponent 1-4 in the opening set, he won five games on the trot to roar back into the match.
Playing on his favourite surface, Nagal then fended off tough challenge from Svrcina in the second set to wrap up the match in an hour and 44 minutes.
Champion in Tampere 🏆@nagalsumit claims the 4th Challenger title of his career after defeating Svrcina 6-4, 7-5!#ATPChallenger | @TampereOpen pic.twitter.com/HH4GeSFU9K
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) July 23, 2023
The last Indian player to win a singles round at the Grand Slams, Nagal has struggled with injury and illness in the last two years. He underwent hip surgery in 2021 and spent considerable time and resources to rehab and get back on the tour.
“It was hard to believe that this day would come,” Nagal had written in Instagram after winning the Challenger title in Rome in April. “I struggled with numerous injuries, came back from surgery, fought covid multiple times, endured tough matches, tougher training regimes, and my own internal demons.”
The journey has been long and arduous, but Nagal is finally finding a way back.
MORE: Latest sports odds and betting
