Sumit Nagal Storms Into Asian Games Quarterfinals as Indian Tennis Takes Mixed Results

Sumit Nagal emerged as the lone Indian winner on the tennis courts on Wednesday, advancing to the men’s singles quarterfinals at the 2026 Asian Games with a convincing straight-set victory over Uzbekistan’s Sergey Fomin.

Playing at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center, Nagal defeated Fomin 6-3, 6-2 in the Round of 16, producing a controlled performance to keep India’s singles medal hopes alive. The victory also extended Nagal’s head-to-head advantage over Fomin to 3-0 and secured his place in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive Asian Games.

However, it was a mixed day for the Indian tennis contingent. While Nagal progressed, DK Suresh exited the men’s singles competition and the men’s doubles pairing of Anirudh Chandrasekar and Sriram Balaji bowed out after a narrow three-set quarterfinal defeat.

Nagal entered his Round of 16 match against Fomin with a clear opportunity to move into the final eight, and the Indian took control early. He won the opening set 6-3 before maintaining his advantage in the second. Fomin was unable to sustain enough pressure to disrupt Nagal’s rhythm, with the Indian closing out the match 6-2.

The straight-set victory was particularly significant given the stage of the competition. With the quarterfinals now secured, Nagal is one victory away from assuring himself a medal in the men’s singles event. His progression also gives India its only remaining singles representative in the tournament.

Nagal's win continued his unbeaten record against Fomin. The Indian had previously beaten the Uzbek twice, and the latest encounter again ended without dropping a set. The result also sets up a demanding quarterfinal against China’s Yibing Wu.

Yibing Wu Next

Nagal will face Wu Yibing in the quarterfinal on October 1 at 10 AM IST. Wu enters the match with a higher current ranking, listed at ATP No. 111, with a career-high ranking of No. 54. Nagal was listed at No. 249 at the time of the tournament, while Fomin was ranked No. 289. The upcoming meeting also carries some recent head-to-head context. Nagal and Wu met once in 2024, with Wu winning that contest 6-3, 6-3.

That previous result gives the quarterfinal a clear statistical backdrop, but the Asian Games meeting comes in a different competitive setting, with a place in the medal rounds at stake. Nagal has already reached the quarterfinal stage at consecutive Asian Games. His next victory would take him into the medal positions.

India’s men’s doubles campaign ended in one of the closest matches of the day. Anirudh Chandrasekar and Sriram Balaji faced China’s Zhang and Jiang in the quarterfinals and pushed the Chinese pair through three highly competitive sets. The Indian duo took the opening set 7-6, winning the tiebreak 7-4. China responded in the second set, which again went to a tiebreak. Zhang and Jiang won that breaker 9-7 to level the match.

The deciding match tiebreak went right down to the wire. China eventually prevailed 10-8, ending the Indian pair’s run after a 7-6(4), 6-7(7), 10-8 contest. The narrow margin underlined how little separated the two teams, with India coming within two points of advancing to the semifinals.

DK Suresh Exits Singles

DK Suresh’s maiden Asian Games men’s singles campaign also came to an end in the Round of 16. Suresh faced Chinese Taipei’s Chun-hsin Tseng, a former top-100 player, and competed closely during several stretches of the match. The Indian saved three break points and managed to move ahead by a break at 3-2 in the opening set. Tseng, however, recovered and eventually took the first set 6-3.

Suresh remained competitive in the second set, but Tseng was able to win the key points and completed a 6-3, 6-4 victory. Tseng entered the contest ranked No. 221, with a career-high ranking of No. 83, compared with Suresh’s No. 364 ranking.

With Suresh and the doubles team eliminated, Nagal now carries India’s remaining men’s singles challenge at the Asian Games. His 6-3, 6-2 victory over Fomin was one of the day’s more decisive results for the Indian contingent, but the quarterfinal against Wu represents a different test. The stakes are equally clear: Nagal is one win away from guaranteeing himself an Asian Games medal.

The quarterfinal will therefore be more than another progression match. It will determine whether Nagal can convert his second successive Asian Games quarterfinal appearance into a place on the podium.