Sumit Nagal achieves career-best ATP ranking of 95

NEW DELHI: Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal achieved a new career-high ranking of 95 on Monday after progressing two spots up in the latest ATP rankings ahead of the ATP 250 Marrakech.

In February, Nagal entered the top 100 when he rose to world no. 97 in men's singles after winning the Chennai Open title. He further solidified his position with a dream debut at the prestigious Miami Open, defeating Canadian player Gabriel Diallo in straight sets 7-6(3), 6-2 during the qualifiers.

Nevertheless, Nagal lost to Coleman Wong in the following qualifying round, giving up the opportunity to set a new career high of world no. 92.

In his first match at Indian Wells, Nagal was defeated by Milos Raonic despite making it to the main draw thanks to Rafael Nadal's last-minute withdrawal. When Nagal reached the Australian Open second round in January, he moved up into the top 100 in the ATP rankings, however after that, he lost the Bengaluru Open against Stefano Napolitano.

The Pune ATP Challenger lost in the pre-quarterfinal against Niki Poonacha saw Nagal being dropped out of the top 100 after losing 16 points from his kitty, resulting in him sliding three spots to 101 in the latest ATP rankings.

Despite the setbacks, Nagal moved up two spots to secure his best-ever career ranking of 95th in the world. This accomplishment precedes his entry into the ATP 250 Marrakech tournament.

Nagal will play world no. 99 Corentin Moutet in the opening round of the tournament on Tuesday.