Who is Sumit Nagal’s opponent in the Australian Open 1st round?

India's Sumit Nagal is all set to showcase his game in the Australian Open 2025, but do you know who he is playing against in the first round?

The Australian Open has all started, and a total of five Indian players are ready to showcase their skills. Rithvik Bollipalli will be making his Grand Slam debut in Melbourne, alongside Rohan Bopanna, Yuki Bhambri, and Sriram Balaji. In addition to them, one more name to watch out for is Sumit Nagal, who is the only Indian player competing in the singles category of the Australian Open 2025. However, his opponent is not an easy one to tackle. World No. 96 Sumit Nagal will face off against 26th-seeded Czech Republic player Tomas Machac in the first round. As mentioned, Tomas Machac is a tough opponent, as the 24-year-old star is currently enjoying improved form. He also won a gold medal in mixed doubles at the last Olympics with Katerina Siniakova and has had a strong run recently. Although he has had some mixed results, including a loss to Casper Ruud, Machac holds a slight edge over Nagal in this upcoming clash.

Sumit Nagal’s recent form

A mix of results has emerged as an important note, with Nagal’s recent matches mostly not in his favour. His recent form includes a loss to Alex Michelsen in the first round of the ASB Classic, with a score of 6-7, 6-4, 6-2. However, he bounced back with a win over Adrian Mannarino (7-6, 6-3) on 05.01.25 in the qualifiers.

He also won against Alexander Klintcharov (1-6, 6-3, 6-1) in the qualifiers. But once again, he suffered a loss to Patrick Kypson (6-2, 4-6, 6-1) in the 1st round of the Australia Canberra Challenger on 31.12.24. Earlier, Nagal lost to Edas Butvilas (6-3, 7-5) in the 1st round of the Spain Montemar Challenger. Since his last victory, where he thumped the high-seeded 31st seed Alexander Bublik in straight sets, he will look to replicate a similar result this time again.

Beating Tomas Machac is no easy task!

On the other hand, Tomas Machac has enjoyed more success in his recent matches. He lost in the semifinals to Taylor Harry Fritz (6-7, 6-5). Before that, Machac claimed a dominant win over Flavio Cobolli (6-1, 6-2). He also defeated Hubert Hurkacz (7-5, 3-6, 6-4) on 01.01.25. However, Machac faced a loss to Casper Ruud (7-6, 5-7, 6-4).