Sumit Nagal reaches second round of Monte Carlo: Defeats world number 38 Ernaldi in first round

Nagal will face Denmark's Holger Rune in the next round.

India's number-1 tennis player Sumit Nagal has reached the second round of Rolex Monte Carlo Masters. He defeated world number 38 Ernaldi Ko in the first round on Monday.

95th-ranked Nagal came back from a set down to defeat world number 38 Ernaldi 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in two hours and 37 minutes. With this, Nagal registered his third win over a top-50 player. Nagal will face current runner-up Holger Rune of Denmark in the next round.

Nagal defeated world number 38 Ernaldi 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in a match that lasted two hours 37 minutes.

No Indian in Monte Carlo main draw after 42 years
Sumit Nagal is the first Indian player to reach the main draw of the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters after 42 years. Before him, in 1982, Ramesh Krishnan had made his place in the main draw of the singles event.

What is Monte Carlo Masters?
The Monte-Carlo Masters is a tennis tournament for men's professional players, held in Roquebrun-Cap-Martin, France. It is played on clay courts at the Monte Carlo Country Club and takes place in April. It is organized every year. The tournament is part of nine ATP Tour Masters 1000 events on the ATP Tour.

Sumit Nagal's performance was better this year
Sumit Nagal's performance this year has been better. He started the year with a win at the Australian Open, his first Grand Slam, defeating Alexander Bublik. After this, he won the Chennai Open and broke into the top 100 in the ATP rankings. Earlier this week, Nagal had achieved his career-best ranking of 95th.

Apart from Sumit, Bopanna will also be seen playing in doubles.
Apart from Sumit, Rohan Bopanna, who won the doubles of the first Grand Slam Australian Open of the year, will also be seen playing with his Australian partner Matthew Ebden in this tournament.