US Open 2021: Sumit Nagal, Ramkumar Ramanathan exit in qualifiers

New York: Indian tennis players’ struggle at the Grand Slam events continued as both Sumit Nagal and Ramkumar Ramanathan lost their respective first-round singles matches to make an exit from the US Open qualifiers, here. Nagal lost 5-7 6-4 3-6 to Argentina’s Juan Pablo Ficovich in two hours and 22 minutes on Tuesday night. Nagal had played in the Australian Open main draw early this year and had lost in the first round. He could not qualify for the French Open and missed the Wimbledon qualifiers due to an unrevealed injury. Ramkumar frittered away a one-set advantage to lose 6-4 6-7(1) 4-6 to Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy in two hours and 35 minutes in his opening round. It was Ramkumar’s 21st attempt to qualify for the singles main draw of a Grand Slam since 2014. Prajnesh Guneswaran is the only Indian left in the men’s singles qualifiers. The left-hander is up against Canadian Brayden Schnur. Ankita Raina has also exited after losing her first round in women’s singles qualifiers to American Jamie Loeb.