Nagal wins Intaro Open for first Challenger title in over two years

Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal ended a two-year title drought by defeating France's Felix Balshaw 6-3, 7-5 to win the Intaro Open in Romania. The clay-court victory marks Nagal's seventh ATP Challenger title, boosting his world ranking to around 219

New Delhi: Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal clinched his first ATP Challenger title in more than two years after defeating French qualifier Felix Balshaw 6-3 7-5 in the final of the Intaro Open clay-court tournament in Targu Mures, Romania.

The triumph on Saturday ended Nagal’s title drought at the Challenger level since his victory at the Heilbronn Challenger in Germany in June 2024.

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It was the 28-year-old’s seventh ATP Challenger singles title overall and his fifth on clay, underlining his affinity for the surface.

Nagal, who has been trying to rebuild his ranking after a lean spell, earned 75 ATP ranking points for the title, a haul that is expected to lift him to around world No. 219 when the new rankings are released.

He also pocketed Euro 15510 for his effort.

The Indian controlled the opening set with a solid display from the baseline before facing a sterner challenge in the second as Balshaw stayed in contention.

Nagal, however, held his nerve in the closing stages to wrap up the match in straight sets.

The title comes as a timely boost for Nagal, who has spent much of the season competing on the Challenger circuit in a bid to regain his place among the world’s top players.

Before this tournament, he competed in 13 Challenger events and had struggled to go beyond the second round. A quarterfinal finish at the Chisinau event in Moldova was best show till this title run.