New Delhi, February 19 – Sumit Nagal, India’s top-ranked singles player, was eliminated from the ATP Delhi Open 2026 after losing in straight sets to Italy’s Federico Cina in the second round at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi on Thursday. Meanwhile, the top-seeded doubles pair of Siddhant Banthia and Alexander Donski advanced to the quarterfinals with a dominant victory.
Nagal, competing in the ATP Challenger 75 tournament, was unable to overcome an early deficit against the 18-year-old Cina, who displayed remarkable composure. Cina broke Nagal in the opening game and maintained his lead to win the first set 6-4. He then secured a 5-1 lead in the second set, putting himself in a strong position to win.
Nagal, ranked No. 297 in the world, mounted a brief comeback by saving three match points and reducing the deficit to 5-4, raising hopes for a potential victory. However, Cina maintained his composure to ultimately win a 6-4, 6-4 match in one hour and 40 minutes, ending India’s singles campaign in the tournament.
Reflecting on his defeat, the young Italian acknowledged both Nagal’s experience and the challenge of playing in front of a home crowd.
“Nagal is someone who has played in the main draw of Grand Slams. So, I am very happy with this win,” Cina said after the match. “He is a tough player. It was also difficult to play at home. But I am very happy to have won this match. It was tough because he was 5-4, and then the crowd was also getting excited. It was tough, but I served well in the last game.”
Elsewhere in the singles draw, second seed Rei Sakamoto of Japan advanced to the quarterfinals after recovering from a set down to defeat Great Britain’s Alastair Grey 1-6, 6-1, 6-4. Third seed Jay Clarke and fifth-seed Oliver Crawford, both from Great Britain, along with Japan’s eighth seed Rio Noguchi, also progressed with straight-set victories. In another notable result, Belgium’s Michael Geerts defeated seventh seed Daniel Michalski of Poland in straight sets.
India also achieved success in the doubles competition, where the top-seeded duo of Banthia and Donski secured a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory over Francis Casey Alcantara and Courtney John Lock to book their place in the last eight.
Banthia expressed satisfaction with their performance and highlighted the pair’s growing understanding on court.
“It was good. Alex and I have played a lot together last year, and it was good to get him back on the court with me this year and start the season strongly,” Banthia said after the match. “I thought the chemistry was always there, and we both improved as players. We understand each other’s game, and having this dominant performance in the first round gives us a lot of confidence going forward.”
The Indian wildcard pair 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 singles champion in the tournament’s history, having won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. The ATP Delhi Open, now in its sixth edition, continues at the DLTA Complex with players competing for valuable ranking points and prize money as the race for the title intensifies.
ATP Delhi Open 2026 – Day 5 Results (till 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.)