Daijiworld Media Network - Nagoya
Nagoya, Sep 29: Indian tennis players Sumit Nagal and Dhakshineswar Suresh advanced to the men's singles pre-quarterfinals at the Asian Games 2026 after registering contrasting wins in their respective second-round matches on Tuesday.
Nagal defeated 2023 Asian Games bronze medallist Seongchan Hong of South Korea 6-4, 6-0, while Suresh overcame Indonesia's Gunawan Trismuwantara 7-5, 7-6 (2) in a closely fought contest.
Nagal's match against Hong had been suspended on Monday due to adverse weather, with the Indian leading 3-2 in the opening set. On resumption on Tuesday, Hong made a strong start and won the first eight points as Nagal trailed 3-4.
However, the former World No. 68 Indian turned the contest around, winning nine consecutive games to take the first set 6-4 and then complete a 6-0 second-set victory.
The win was particularly significant for Nagal as he had previously lost to Hong in the qualifying round of the ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells tournament, going down 6-2, 2-6, 6-7 (4).
Nagal had also suffered two singles defeats against South Korea during India's 1-3 Davis Cup loss ahead of the Asian Games. He lost to Hyeon Chung 6-2, 4-6, 5-7 before going down to Soonwoo Kwon 1-6, 2-6.
Nagal will next face Uzbekistan's Sergey Fomin in the Asian Games singles competition.
Meanwhile, Suresh, making his Asian Games debut, survived a tight contest against Gunawan to book his place in the pre-quarterfinals.
The Indian secured the opening set 7-5 after breaking the Indonesian's serve. Suresh was particularly effective on serve, winning 80 per cent of points on his first serve and 82 per cent on his second serve in the opening set. Gunawan won 72 per cent of points on his first serve and 33 per cent on his second.
Suresh maintained his advantage in the second set, winning 85 per cent of points on his first serve and 86 per cent on his second serve. Gunawan managed 70 per cent on his first serve and 47 per cent on his second.
The Indian held his nerve in the tie-breaker to win the second set 7-6 (2) and seal his place in the next round.