ATP Delhi Open 2026: Sumit Nagal Bows Out in Round 2, Doubles Top seeds Banthia/ Donski Advance to Quarters

 India’s No. 1 Men’s Singles player Sumit Nagal was knocked out in the second round of the ATP Delhi Open 2026 on Thursday, losing to sixth seed Federico Cina of Italy. In the doubles draw, top seeds Siddhant Banthia (India) and Alexander Donski (Bulgaria) advanced to the quarterfinals. The ATP Challenger 75 event, now in its sixth edition, is being held at the DLTA Complex from February 16 to 22, with 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams competing for the title.

Cina, an 18-year-old ranked No. 225 in the world, broke Nagal in the opening game and maintained the advantage to take the first set 6-4. The Italian then raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set and looked set to cruise into the last eight. However, Nagal, ranked No. 297, saved three match points in the seventh game and cut the deficit to 5-4. Cina stayed composed and held serve in the 10th game to seal a 6-4, 6-4 win in one hour and 40 minutes.

“Nagal is someone who played in the main draw of the Grand Slams. So for sure I am very happy about this win,” Cina said after the win. “He is a tough player. He played also at home so it was difficult. But I am very happy to win this match. It was tough because he was 5-4 and then also the crowd was like getting excited. It was tough but I served good in the last game in the end.”

Elsewhere in the singles draw, third seed Jay Clarke and fifth seed Oliver Crawford, both from Great Britain, and eighth seed Rio Noguchi of Japan, won their matches in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals. Second seed Rei Sakamoto of Japan came from 3-0 down in the final set to score a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over Great Britain’s Alastair Gray while seventh seed Daniel Michalski of Poland was upset by Belgium’s Michael Geerts 7-6(8), 6-4.

In the doubles draw, the top-seeded duo of Banthia and Donski advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Francis Casey Alcantara and Courtney John Lock.

“It was good. Me and Alex have played a lot last year and it was good to get him back on the court with me this year and start the season really strong,” Banthia said after the win. “I thought the chemistry was always there and we've both improved as individuals, as a player. We understand each other's game and to have that dominant performance in the first round gives us a lot of confidence going forward.”

Also reaching the last eight was the Indian wildcard pairing of Divij Sharan and Karan Singh, who defeated Bulgaria’s Dimitar Kuzmanov and Kazakhstan’s Denis Yevseyev 7-6(5), 6-4.

With the Indian campaign in singles over, Nagal. Somdev Devvarman remains the only home singles champion in the tournament’s history, having won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015.

India has also produced all-Indian doubles champions twice in the past, with Saketh Myneni/Sanam Singh and Yuki Bhambri/Mahesh Bhupathi lifting the trophy in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

As part of the ATP Challenger 75 series, the tournament will award 75 ranking points to the singles and doubles champions, 44 points to the singles runner-up, and 50 points to the doubles runners-up. The singles champion will receive $17,000 in prize money, with the runner-up earning $9,600. The doubles champions will split $4,980, while the runners-up will split $2,880.

ATP Delhi Open 2026 – Day 5 Results (till 6 PM IST)

Men’s Singles Main Draw – Second Round
[2] Rei Sakamoto (JPN) d. Alastair Gray (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.)