Sumit Nagal Storms into Delhi Open Second Round as Top Seed Sweeny Falls

India’s top tennis hope Sumit Nagal advanced to the second round of the Delhi Open 2026 , boosting home expectations at the ATP Challenger 75 event being held at the R.K. Khanna Tennis Complex . Nagal defeated Spain’s David Jorda Sanchis 6-3, 7-5 in the men’s singles first round, displaying composure and tactical control during the one hour and 27-minute contest. Ranked in the high 200s and aiming to regain momentum on the international circuit, Nagal started aggressively by breaking serve in the opening game and maintained pressure throughout. Although Sanchis offered resistance in the second set, Nagal secured a decisive break in the 11th game to close out the match and move forward.

The tournament witnessed a major upset when Kazakhstan’s Beibit Zhukayev stunned top seed and world No. 134 Dane Sweeny of Australia 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-2, marking the biggest surprise of the competition. Second seed Rei Sakamoto advanced comfortably with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Frederico Ferreira Silva , while Britain’s third seed Jay Clarke battled past Poland’s Maks Kasnikowski 7-6, 6-4. Apart from Nagal’s success, the singles draw proved disappointing for India, as Manas Dhamne lost to eighth seed Rio Noguchi , Manish Sureshkumar went down to Stefanos Sakellaridis , and wildcard Digvijaypratap Singh exited after defeat to Petr Bar Biryukov . With these exits, Nagal remains the lone Indian contender in the singles draw and will play his next match on Thursday , aiming to extend his run and strengthen his push back toward the ATP top tier.