Sumit Nagal reaches semi-finals of ATP Challenger Circuit in Brazil

Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal on Friday reached the semi-finals of the ATP Challenger Campinas in Brazil. Nagal defeated Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo in a straight-set win by 7-6 (2), 7-5. He has secured his second semi-final appearance in two weeks.

Nagal now has the highest number of semi-finals appearance on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2019. With this win, he has moved to the world No.129 spot in the ATP rankings. Earlier, Nagal was at his career-best ranking of 135 after winning the Challenger title in Argentina last week.

READ | Sumit Nagal Wins Second ATP Challenger, Will Now Move Into Top 135

Earlier, Nagal has defeated Cerundolo just last week during the Buenos Aires Challenger with three sets. Nagal had now moved into the second round of the tournament after his opponent Portuguese Gastao Elias retired as Nagal was leading 4-1 in the first set. In the second round, Nagal was up against the local player Orlando Luz, who he beat 7-5, 6-3.

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Buenos Aires Challenger

Nagal beat Facundo Bagnis in the final of the Buenos Aires Challenger to win his career's second Challenger title on Sunday. He beat the Argentine 6-4, 6-2 in the finals of the Challenger. He wrapped up the win in an hour and 37 minutes. Nagal also participated in the men's doubles with Federico Coria but could not get past the quarterfinals, where the pair lost 2-6, 3-6. 

Nagal won his first Challenger at the Bengaluru Open in 2017. The win on Sunday will assure him of a top-135 ranking. Nagal has had a fantastic year, which saw him qualify for his first-ever Grand Slam, the US Open. He bowed out in the first round of the US Open, but not before winning a set against tennis legend Roger Federer. 

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'No monetary support'

Earlier this week, Nagal had expressed disappointment over not receiving any financial assistance despite showing his calibre against Roger Federer in the first round of the US Open.

"I was all alone here. No one was with me to help out. One way, it has been great that I have been playing good tennis but it's not easy to do it and I'm really sad. The path is lonely despite doing well at the US Open. I qualified at 22 and led a set against Roger Federer, but it still has not made an impact anywhere. It's really sad nobody is coming up to invest in tennis," Nagal told PTI from Buenos Aires.

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