Ace Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal fought hard before crashing out in the men's singles pre-quarterfinals of the Marrakech Open on Wednesday.
The 95th-ranked Indian lost 6-1 3-6 4-6 to Lorenzo Sonego of Italy, failing to hold on to the momentum despite starting the tie on a resounding note. The 61st-ranked Italian displayed his class and experience on clay courts to good use.
Nagal had grabbed the headlines after making it to the main draw of the Australian Open in January, where he became the first Indian to beat a seeded player (Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan) before losing against Shang Juncheng of China in the second round.
While Nagal emerged triumphant in the Chennai Open immediately after the Australian Open, he went on to play two more Challenger competitions, besides featuring in an ATP 500 competition (Dubai Championship) and two ATP 1000 Masters (Indian Wells and Miami).
Since his Chennai conquest, Nagal has managed to reach the semi-final on only one occasion in the Bengaluru Challenger.
His current ranking of 95, which he attained earlier this week, is his career-best.
As for other Indians in the Marrakech Open, the pair of Yuki Bhambri and his French partner Albano Olivetti registered a 6-3 6-4 win over the duo of Bart Stevens (Netherlands) and Petros Tsitsipas (Greece) in the pre-quarterfinals.