New Delhi, Feb 19 (NationPress) India’s leading singles player Sumit Nagal faced an exit from the ATP Delhi Open 2026 following a straight-sets loss to Federico Cina of Italy in the second round at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi on Thursday. In contrast, the top-seeded doubles duo of Siddhant Banthia and Alexander Donski moved forward to the quarterfinals with an impressive victory.

Participating in the ATP Challenger 75 event, Nagal struggled to recover from an early setback against the composed 18-year-old Cina. Cina broke Nagal in the first game and maintained his advantage, taking the first set 6-4. He quickly raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set, putting victory within reach.

Ranked No. 297 globally, Nagal made a brief attempt to rally by saving three match points and reducing the deficit to 5-4, raising hopes of a comeback. However, Cina held his composure in the final game, clinching the match with a score of 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 40 minutes, marking the end of India’s singles journey in this tournament.

After his win, the young Italian acknowledged the caliber of Nagal and the difficulty of competing in front of a home crowd.

“Nagal has competed in the main draw of the Grand Slams, so I’m delighted with this victory,” Cina remarked post-match. “He is a formidable opponent, especially on home soil. It was challenging, particularly when he had the crowd cheering for a comeback at 5-4. But I served well in the final game.”

In other singles matches, second seed Rei Sakamoto from Japan progressed to the quarterfinals after bouncing back from a set down to defeat Alastair Grey from Great Britain 1-6, 6-1, 6-4. Other notable players such as third seed Jay Clarke, fifth-seed Oliver Crawford, and Japan’s eighth seed Rio Noguchi also advanced with straight-sets wins. An upset occurred when Michael Geerts from Belgium took down seventh seed Daniel Michalski of Poland in straight sets.

In the doubles segment, top seeds Banthia and Donski delivered a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory against Francis Casey Alcantara and Courtney John Lock, securing their place in the quarterfinals.

Banthia expressed his contentment with their performance and emphasized their growing synergy on the court.

“It was fantastic. Alex and I played a lot last year, and it felt good to start the season strong together this year,” Banthia noted post-match. “Our chemistry has always been strong, and both of us have improved individually. Understanding each other’s play style has given us confidence moving forward.”

The Indian wildcard duo of Divij Sharan and Karan Singh also advanced to the quarterfinals, defeating Dimitar Kuzmanov and Denis Yevseyev in straight sets.

With Nagal's exit, Somdev Devvarman remains the only Indian to have won singles titles in the tournament’s history, with back-to-back victories in 2014 and 2015. The ATP Delhi Open, now in its sixth edition, continues at the DLTA Complex where players compete for crucial ranking points and prize money as the race for the title heats up.

ATP Delhi Open 2026 - Day 5 Results (until 6 PM IST)

Men’s Singles Main Draw - Second Round

[2] Rei Sakamoto (JPN) d. Alastair Grey (GBR) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4

[3] Jay Clarke (GBR) d. [Q] Alexandr Binda (ITA) 6-4, 6-4

[5] Oliver Crawford (GBR) d. [PR] Ilya Ivashka 6-1, 6-4

[6] Federico Cina (ITA) d. Sumit Nagal (IND) 6-4, 6-4

Michael Geerts (BEL) d. [7] Daniel Michalski (POL) 7-6(8), 6-4

[8] Rio Noguchi (JPN) d. Dimitar Kuzmanov (BUL) 6-4, 6-3

Felix Gill (GBR) d. Petr Bar Biryukov 6-3, 7-6 (3)

Stefanos Sakellaridis (GRE) d. Beibit Zhukayev (KAZ) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4

Men’s Doubles Main Draw - First Round

[1] Siddhant Banthia (IND)/ Alexander Donski (BUL) d. Francis Casey Alcantara (PHI)/ Courtney John Lock (ZIM) 6-2, 6-3

[3] JiSung Nam (KOR)/ Patrik Niklas-Salminen (FIN) d. Dane Sweeny (AUS)/ Seita Watanabe (JPN) 7-6(7), 6-2

[WC] Divij Sharan (IND)/ Karan Singh (IND) d. Dimitar Kuzmanov (BUL)/ Denis Yevseyev (KAZ) 7-6(5), 6-4

Luca Castelnuovo (SUI)/Rio Noguchi (JPN) d. Oliver Crawford (GBR)/ Grigoriy Lomakin (KAZ) 4-1 (retd.)