India’s top singles player Sumit Nagal produced a gritty comeback to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open Asia-Pacific Wildcard Play-off in Chengdu on Tuesday. Despite a sluggish start, Nagal recovered brilliantly to defeat China’s Minghui Zhang 2-6, 6-0, 6-2 and secure his spot in the last eight.
The sixth seed struggled with rhythm in the opening set, but his turnaround in the second was emphatic as he blanked Zhang 6-0. Nagal carried the momentum into the decider, dominating from the baseline and closing out the match with confidence.
The event, held from November 24–29 at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre, offers its champions a prized wild card into the 2026 Australian Open main draw — a major incentive for all participants.
Nagal’s participation itself was uncertain after his Chinese visa application was initially rejected, prompting him to publicly seek intervention. The issue was later resolved, allowing him to travel and compete.
With this win, Nagal now awaits the winner of the match between top seed Bu Yunchaokete and Zijiang Yang. A victory in the quarter-finals will take him one step closer to securing an Australian Open berth.
