Sumeet Nagal — Sumit Nagal, who was making his Grand Slam debut, was never overawed under the bright lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Bengaluru, August 27: India's Sumit Nagal is making waves after playing his heart out against legend Roger Federer in the opening round of the US Open tennis tournament at Flushing Meadows on Monday (August 26) night.

The match was nothing short of a treat for the Indian tennis fans as the teenage sensation from Jhajjar, Haryana, who was making his Grand Slam debut, won the opening set.

Though Nagal eventually lost 6-4, 1-6, 2-6, 4-6 to the 20-time Grand Slam champion, he was never overawed under the bright lights on Arthur Ashe Stadiumand left a lasting impression.

Sumit Nagal age & ranking

At 22, Nagal was the youngest Indian to qualify for a Grand Slam main draw in 25 years . With a career-high ATP World Tour ranking of 190, Nagal, who came through the qualifiers, managed to keep Federer in check in the first set and was very much in the game and he surprised the Swiss great from time to time with some astonishing returns righ through the thrilling encounter.

Learning curve

"It's not about winning or losing all the time. It's just the experience. It's playing someone who has won 20 Grand Slams," Nagal had told ATPTour.com before making his Grand Slam debut against the tennis maestro.

"I don't care what the commentators will be saying about me on TV. I'm going to be enjoying the crowd, playing the best tennis player ever. I'm just some dude from India. I'm fine with that until I make my name," he added.

Birthplace and family

And of course, he did enhance his reputation after the match, which lasted two hours and 29 minutes.

Born on August 16, 1997 in Jhajjar, Nagal's journey to his first Slam from the days when he was wandering on the sidelines of tournaments, was largely facilitated by fellow Indian and former US Open doubles champion Mahesh Bhupathi.

The former doubles No. 1 personally handpicked Nagal in 2007 for his "Apollo Mission 2018" program, which sought to produce an Indian Grand Slam singles champion by 2018.

Achievements

Nagal won the 2015 Wimbledon boys' doubles title with Vietnam's Nam Hoang Ly, becoming only the sixth Indian player to win a junior Grand Slam trophy.

He made his Davis Cup debut for India in the 2016 World Group play-off tie against Spain in New Delhi.

Turning point

The victory in the 2017 Bengaluru Open, which was his first ATP Challenger title, was a real turning point in his career. After that, it has been a steady climb to the top.

Last week he arrived in New York at a career-high ATP ranking of 190. He was 0-3 in his previous trips through Grand Slam qualifying, but weathered three quality opponents in the qualifying draw for his latest breakthrough moment.

The loss to Federer might have ended Nagal's campaign in the US Open, but his long journey has just begun and it bodes well for the future of Indian tennis.