3 min readFeb 20, 2026 12:03 AM IST
First published on: Feb 20, 2026 at 12:03 AM IST
In a disappointing show in the national capital, local favourite and India’s No. 1 men’s singles player Sumit Nagal was knocked out in the second round of the ATP Delhi Open 2026 on Thursday, losing to sixth seed Italy’s Federico Cina.
In the doubles draw, top seeds Siddhant Banthia (India) and Alexander Donski (Bulgaria) advanced to the quarterfinals. The ATP Challenger 75 event, now in its sixth edition, is being held at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi from February 16 to 22, with 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams competing for the title.
With the Indian campaign in singles over, Nagal. Somdev Devvarman remains the only home singles champion in the tournament’s history, having won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015.
Cina, an 18-year-old ranked No. 225 in the world, broke Nagal in the opening game and maintained the advantage to take the first set 6-4. The Italian then raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set and looked set to cruise into the last eight. However, Nagal, ranked No. 297, saved three match points in the seventh game and cut the deficit to 5-4. Cina stayed composed and held serve in the 10th game to seal a 6-4, 6-4 win in one hour and 40 minutes.
“Nagal is someone who played in the main draw of the Grand Slams. So for sure I am very happy about this win,” Cina said after the win. “He is a tough player. He played also at home so it was difficult. But I am very happy to win this match. It was tough because he was 5-4 and then also the crowd was like getting excited. It was tough but I served good in the last game in the end.”
Elsewhere in the singles draw, third seed Jay Clarke and fifth seed Oliver Crawford, both from Great Britain, and eighth seed Rio Noguchi of Japan, won their matches in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals. Second seed Rei Sakamoto of Japan came from 3-0 down in the final set to score a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over Great Britain’s Alastair Gray while seventh seed Daniel Michalski of Poland was upset by Belgium’s Michael Geerts 7-6(8), 6-4.
In the doubles draw, the top-seeded duo of Banthia and Donski advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Francis Casey Alcantara and Courtney John Lock.
Also reaching the last eight was the Indian wildcard pairing of Divij Sharan and Karan Singh, who defeated Bulgaria’s Dimitar Kuzmanov and Kazakhstan’s Denis Yevseyev 7-6(5), 6-4.
Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal crashed out of Delhi Open 2026 ATP Tennis Challenger event in second round. (PHOTO: X) 
Share
