French Open: Big-hitting Khachanov beats Sumit Nagal in opening round

Paris. Sumit Nagal’s late resistance was not enough as his French Open debut ended in a defeat against big-hitter Russian Karen Khachanov here on Monday, who beat the Indian in straight sets.The top Indian singles player, ranked 95, struggled to match the power and range of his arch-rival, losing 2-6 0-6 6-7(5) in the opening round.Nagal had stunned world number 31 Alexander Bublik at the Australian Open but could not replicate his courageous performance on the red clay.Rain before the match had made the court a bit slower and more suitable for long rallies.It was a fiery start from the Indian but the Russian got the first break of the match when he broke Nagal’s serve in the third game.However, Nagal did well to come back from 0-40 and save three breakpoints. However, while looking for a wide forehand, he committed an unforced error to give his opponent the first break of the match. The match was interrupted due to rain and resumed after a 21-minute break. The Russian came out firing on all cylinders as Nagal found it difficult to match Khachanov’s power. It was instinctive hitting from the Russian, which Nagal failed to counter. Nagal had little time to react to the shots as the Russian rushed him in on both sides.

It was difficult to control or create points. He was 30-0 up in the seventh game but Khachanov scored four consecutive points to get his second break in the opening set, which he converted with an inside-out forehand winner in the next game, albeit after saving a break chance. He needed a solid start in the second set but Nagal lost his serve in the very first game and went on the backfoot. He had two break chances to level the set but Khachanov saved both and broke his opponent’s serve once again to take a comfortable 3-0 lead. Soon the score became 5-0 and eventually Khachanov defeated Nagal. Thereafter, it was a tough task for the Indian to make a comeback. He fought hard in the third set and dragged it to a tie-breaker but the Russian’s experience helped him end Nagal’s fight. Rohan Bopanna and Yuki Bhambri will compete in the men’s doubles with their respective partners.