Indian tennis ace Sumit Nagal on Saturday reached the final of the Banja Luka Challenger with a straight-set win over Slovakia’s Filip Horansky.
This is the first time since the Bengaluru Open in September 2017 that Nagal will feature in a title clash on the ATP Challenger Tour.
The tennis star was made to work in the first set that went into tie-breaker. However, the 22-year-old won the tie-breaker comfortably and carried the form into the second set, which he won by dropping only two games.
The 22-year-old is yet to drop a set in the tournament and a win in the final will help him break into the top 150 in ATP rankings. He is currently ranked 174th, which is his career-best.
In the final, Nagal will face the Netherlands’ Tallon Griekspoor, currently ranked 187. Griekspoor had to play a three-set match in his semifinal clash and the fatigue is something that can work in Nagal’s favour.
Sumit had caught international headlines in late August when he made it through to the singles main draw of the US Open. He faced Swiss great Roger Federer in the first round and even won the first set, raising quite a few eyebrows. Though Federer won the contest, he said after the match that he was impressed by the way Nagal adapted to the big stage.