Australian Open 2025: Sumit Nagal crashes out in Round 1 in straight sets

India's Sumit Nagal had a bad day at the office as he crashed out of the first round of the Australian Open 2025 with a straight sets loss to Tomas Machac on Sunday, January 12. Casper Ruud survived a 5-set thriller to progress to the second round on Sunday.

In Short

• Nagal lost to Machac 3-6, 1-6, 5-7
• Nagal was leading in the 3rd set but failed to hold on to the advantage
• Ruud defeated Jaume Munar 6-3, 1-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1

India's Sumit Nagal had a day to forget on the opening day of the Australian Open 2025 on Sunday, January 12 as he crashed out of the competition in the very first round. Nagal was beaten by the 26th seed Tomas Machac with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-1, 5-7 at Melbourne Park on Sunday.

Nagal was the only Indian competing in the men's singles competition and had reached the second round in Melbourne last year. However, the Indian star didn't look to be in good form on Sunday as Machaqc was able to make light work of him during the first 2 sets. After failing to break the serve of the Czech Republic star, Nagal was mainly dependent on his own service to win points against the 26th seed. Machac pulled off a spirited performance as he won 7 out of the 15 break points against Nagal to cruise to the win in the end.

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Nagal did improve his performance in the 3rd set and was leading 3-0, 4-1 and 5-3 at various points. However, he failed to hold onto the advantage and let it slip, allowing Machac to complete a comeback and get the win in the end.

Ruud advances to round 2

Ruud survived a rollercoaster battle on the opening day of the Australian Open, edging past Spain's Jaume Munar in a thrilling five-setter. The Norwegian ultimately prevailed 6-3, 1-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 to secure his spot in the second round for the fourth consecutive year.

Delivering a strong performance in the decisive set, Ruud fired 48 winners against 37 unforced errors throughout the match. His dominant serving in the fifth set, where he won 93% of his first-serve points (13/14), proved crucial in clinching the three-hour, 24-minute victory under the closed roof of Rod Laver Arena.

The 26-year-old will now face either Czech teenager Jakub Mensik or Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili in the next round. Ruud's best performance in the Australian Open was reaching the 4th round in 2021.