India No. 1 Sumit Nagal will play Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in the first round of the US Open men’s singles event which gets underway in New York on Monday.
Nagal, ranked No 72 in the world, has played 40th-ranked Griekspoor only once in the past, with the Dutchman winning their 2019 clash in Banja Luka on clay in straight sets.
The winner of the Nagal-Griekspoor contest could meet 21st seed Sebastian Baez in the second round if the Argentine can defeat Luciano Darderi in the opening round. Sixth seed Andrey Rublev and ninth seed Grigor Dimitrov are the other top seeds in Nagal’s quarter of the draw.
Nagal will compete in all four Grand Slam main draws in the same season for the first time in his career
Nagal heads into the US Open after suffering opening round losses on hardcourt in Cincinnati and Winston-Salem. Griekspoor, whose career-high ranking is No 21, also suffered first round exits in Montreal and Cincinnati heading into the final Grand Slam of the season.
This will be Nagal’s third appearance in the US Open main draw, his first since 2020, and will also mark the first time that the 27-year-old Indian has competed in the main draw of all the four Grand Slams in a season. Meanwhile, Griekspoor will be competing in the US Open main draw for the fourth year in a row. Both players have never made it past the second round at Flushing Meadows.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Haresh Ramchandani
