Chennai Open ATP Challenger: Nagal, Rawat Exit in Second Round

CHENNAI: The Indian challenge in the singles event at the Chennai Open ATP Challenger fizzled out with the exit of Sumit Nagal and Sidharth Rawat in the second round at the SDAT Tennis Stadium here on Thursday.

The India No. 1 took the first set against Russian Petr Bar Biryukov and appeared on course for a routine win when he began to flounder.

He let slip three break-points in the second set which allowed his opponent to stay afloat.

Once into the tie-break, the left-hander, ranked No. 305, used his big serve to good effect to push the match into the decider.

In the third set, Biryukov raced to a 3-0 lead. Though Nagal fought back to level at three-all, Biryukov earned the decisive break in the eighth game and held serve to seal a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 win in just over two hours.

Earlier, Rawat went down 2-6, 3-6 to Maks Kasnikowski.

In the doubles event, the Indo-Thai pairing of Niki Poonacha and Pruchya Isaro advanced to the last four with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Lohithaksha Bathrinath and Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam.

They will face the all-Indian pairing of S.D. Prajwal Dev and Nitin Sinha for a spot in the final. Agencies

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