Nagal, 22, beat Brazil’s Joao Menezes to qualify for the last Grand Slam event of the seaon, which begins on Monday.
When the US Open begins on August 26, at the Billie King Jean National Tennis Center in New York, Indians in the United States and around the globe would have one more reason to follow the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year.
Indian Sumit Nagal just made history by qualifying for US Open Mens’ Single 2019.
The 22-year-old, who is currently ranked 190 in the world, beat Brazil’s Joao Menezes in the final qualifying round match held on Friday.
Nagal beat Menezes in a match that lasted two hours and 27 minutes in three sets: 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. It would be a first appearance for Nagal at a senior Grand Slam event.
Nagal had won the boys double title at Wimbledon in 2015.
The 2019 season will be the 139th edition of the US Open. Novak Djokovick and Naomi Osaka are the defending champions in the men’s and women’s singles category. The tournament will be held at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park of Queens in New York.
No Indian has won a Grand Slam Singles’ title ever in the history of tennis in the seniors category.
In fact, in recent years, only three Indians have qualified for a Grand Slam Singles event.
In 2019 Pannesh Gurneswaran played at the Australian Open, Yuki Bhambri played all the four Grand Slams in 2018 and, in 2013, US educated Somdev Burman played at the 2013 U.S. Open.
Back in 1973, Vijay Amritraj made it to the quarter finals of the US Open. He also repeated the feat in 1981. While Indians have won many grand slams in the mixed doubles, men;s doubles and women’s doubles categories, they have not been able to show the same winning streak in the singles category.