India's top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal was handed a tough opening round at the French Open as he is set to face world number 18 Karen Khachanov of Russia here on Sunday. World No. 94 Nagal earned a direct entry into the main draw of the Grand Slam after his consistent performances on the tour. He became the first Indian male player to qualify for the French Open main draw since Prajnesh Gunneswaran in 2019.
Nagal, though, has not been in the best of form leading up to the clay Grand Slam. He lost to Holger Rune in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters, before missing the Madrid and Rome Masters.
The 26-year-old then made first round exits from the Bordeaux Challenger and Geneva Open earlier this month.
On the other hand, Khachanov who has been seeded 18th, had reached the quarterfinals last year. He won the Qatar Open 250 in February and enjoys an impressive 21-7 record this season.
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