Chennai Open | Nagal eases past Fioni and into the quarterfinals

Luca Nardi in motion towards Bernard Tomic on the ATP Challenger Chennai Open tennis Event on Wednesday, February 7, 2024.
| Photograph Credit score: R. Ravindran.

Enjoying on Centre Courtroom at 2 within the afternoon, second seed Sumit Nagal made gentle of the recent and humid situations, attacked nicely from the baseline and volleyed when it mattered to script a facile 7-5, 6-2 win over Giovanni Fonio of Italy within the second spherical of the Chennai Open ATP Challenger tennis right here on Wednesday.

Luca Nardi of Italy, the highest seed, huffed and puffed earlier than overcoming Bernard Tomic of Australia 7-5, 6-3. Nardi will subsequent tackle Stefano Napolitano of Italy, the fifth seed, who put it throughout Dan Added of France 6-2, 6-1.

Fonio is an attacking participant very like Nagal besides that he has a one-handed backhand in contrast to his Indian opponent. There was little to separate the 2 within the first set, as each confidently held their serves. Fioni held his serve at love within the tenth sport because the rating was tied at 5-5. So did Nagal within the subsequent sport.

Within the twelfth sport, the Italian, ranked 270 on the planet, was damaged at 15 when he put a routine backhand shot from the baseline straight into the web.

Sumit Nagal in motion towards Giovanni Fonio on the ATP Challenger Chennai Open tennis on Wednesday.
| Photograph Credit score:
R. Ravindran

Nagal, the best ranked Indian on the planet at 121, raced to a 3-0 lead within the second set with some engaging forehand crosscourt winners and robust first serves. Fioni’s sport began to disintegrate as he continued to commit far too many unforced errors from the baseline.

Within the final singles match of the day, Dominik Palan of the Czech Republic beat again a troublesome problem from Samuel Vincent Ruggeri of Italy earlier than profitable 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. Palan will problem Nagal within the quarterfinals.  

Nardi struggled within the first set, however was capable of break Tomic within the twelfth sport with a superb end on the web to pocket the set. Tomic regarded uninterested within the second because the Italian raced to a 3-0 and 4-1 lead. From thereon, there wasn’t a lot of a battle from the Australian.

The outcomes (second spherical): Lucas Nardi (Ita) bt Bernard Tomic (Aus) 7-5, 6-3; Sumit Nagal bt Giovanni Fonio (Ita) 7-5, 6-2; Stefano Napolitano (Ita) bt Dan Added (Fra) 6-2, 6-1; Dominik Palan (Cze) bt Samuel Vincent Ruggeri (Ita) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4.