Nagal, Ramkumar bite dust in US Open qualifiers

New York, Aug 25 (PTI): Indian tennis players’ struggle at the Grand Slam events continued as both Sumit Nagal and Ramkumar Ramanathan lost their respective first round singles matches to make an exit from the US Open qualifiers, here.
Nagal lost 5-7 6-4 3-6 to Argentina’s Juan Pablo Ficovich in two hours and 22 minutes on Tuesday night.
Nagal had played in the Australian Open main draw early this year and had lost in the first round. He could not qualify for the French Open and missed the Wimbledon qualifiers due to an unrevealed injury.
Ramkumar frittered away a one-set advantage to lose 6-4 6-7(1) 4-6 to Russia’s Evgeny Donskoy in two hours and 35 minutes in his opening round.
It was Ramkumar’s 21st attempt to qualify for the singles main draw of a Grand Slam since 2014.
Prajnesh Guneswaran is the only Indian left in the men’s singles qualifiers. The left-hander is up against Canadian Brayden Schnur.

Ankita Raina bows out of US Open qualifying

New York: India’s Ankita Raina saved a match point in the decisive set but eventually bowed out of the US Open women’s singles qualifiers following a three-set defeat against American Jamie Loeb, here on Tuesday. Ranked 193, Raina lost to the American ranked one place below her, 3-6 6-2 4-6 in a nearly two hours opening round contest at the Flushing Meadows. In the decisive set, Ankita dropped her serve in the eighth game but got the break back in the next. However, she again slipped 15-40 to be down by two match points. She managed to save one but the American ended the contest by converting her second chance.