India’s No.1 Sumit Nagal gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about as he advanced to the second round of the ATP Delhi Open 2026, while the tournament witnessed its biggest upset yet with top seed Dane Sweeny suffering a shock first-round exit at the DLTA Complex on Tuesday.
The ATP Challenger 75 event, now in its sixth edition, is being held from February 16 to 22 and features a 32-player singles draw and 16-team doubles field. Day three of the competition delivered both home success and unexpected drama.
Nagal Delivers at Home
Ranked World No. 297, Nagal produced a composed performance to defeat Spain’s David Jorda Sanchis 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 27 minutes. The Indian broke serve in the very first game of the match and maintained control through the opening set, dictating rallies with heavy forehands and disciplined baseline play.
The second set proved tighter. Both players held serve through the first ten games before Nagal struck at 5-5, capitalising on a slight dip from the Spaniard to secure the decisive break. Serving for the match, he showed no nerves, closing it out confidently to register his first main-draw win in Delhi.
“I’m really happy with the win. It’s my first win in Delhi. It’s been long due in my tennis matches here,” Nagal said. “It feels great to play at home. It was an incredible crowd and I look forward to playing on Thursday.”
The victory carries added significance for Nagal, who has often spoken about wanting to perform strongly in front of home supporters. With several Indian contenders exiting early, he now remains the country’s primary singles hope in the draw.
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While Nagal progressed, it was otherwise a difficult day for the Indian contingent. Eighteen-year-old Manas Dhamne went down 7-5, 6-4 to eighth seed Rio Noguchi of Japan in a competitive contest. Qualifier Manish Sureshkumar and wildcard Digvijay Singh also bowed out in straight sets, both fighting hard but unable to convert key opportunities.
Sureshkumar, who had impressed in qualifying, fell 6-4, 7-5 to Greece’s Stefanos Sakellaridis, while Digvijay Singh lost 6-3, 6-4 to Petr Bar Biryukov. The headline result of the day, however, belonged to Kazakhstan’s Beibit Zhukayev. The World No. 292 staged a remarkable comeback to eliminate top seed and World No. 134 Dane Sweeny 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-2.
Sweeny had arrived in Delhi in strong form, having qualified for the Australian Open and reached the second round earlier this season, in addition to capturing a Challenger 75 title in Brisbane. After narrowly edging the first set in a tiebreak, he appeared in control.
But Zhukayev shifted momentum decisively in the second set, raising his aggression on return and extending rallies. Once he secured the early break, his confidence grew. The Kazakh dominated the final two sets, exposing errors from the Australian and turning defence into attack with authority.
The upset dramatically opened up the top half of the draw and underlined the fine margins at the Challenger level.
Seeds Progress Smoothly
Elsewhere, the higher seeds largely avoided similar fates.
Second seed Rei Sakamoto advanced comfortably, defeating Chennai Open champion Frederico Ferreira Silva 6-2, 6-2 in a clinical display. The Japanese player controlled the tempo throughout, breaking serve multiple times and allowing little rhythm to his Portuguese opponent. Third seed Jay Clarke of Great Britain also moved into the Round of 16 after a competitive 7-6, 6-4 win over Polish qualifier Maks Kasnikowski.
“Really positive. It’s the first match that I’ve won this year,” Clarke said after the victory. “I’ve been playing great, especially at the back end of last year, and the results hadn’t quite translated at the start of this season. Max is a quality player. There are very fine margins at this level.”
Clarke acknowledged that seeding offers no guarantees at the Challenger circuit, noting how tight the ranking gaps have become.
“It’s nice to be seeded because it shows you’ve had a good year, but there are no easy matches now. You have to be ready every day,” he added.
Other notable winners included Belgium’s Michael Geerts, Dimitar Kuzmanov of Bulgaria, and Ilya Ivashka, who continued their steady progress through the draw.
Nagal now aims to become the first Indian singles champion at the Delhi Open since Somdev Devvarman, who won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. While India has enjoyed doubles success in the past, with all-Indian teams lifting the trophy in 2015 and 2016, a home singles title has remained elusive for over a decade.
As part of the ATP Challenger 75 series, the tournament offers 75 ranking points to the singles champion and significant prize money, making it a crucial stop early in the season. With the top seed eliminated and momentum building, the Delhi Open 2026 has already delivered intrigue. For Indian fans, attention now firmly shifts to Sumit Nagal, who carries the hopes of a nation into the second round.
