India's top singles player Sumit Nagal on Sunday won his fifth Challenger-level singles title, outplaying Italian Luca Nardi in the final of the Chennai Open -- an achievement which will propel him into the top-100 for the first time in his career.
Nagal's 6-1, 6-4 win is likely to take him to 98 when the fresh rankings will be issued on Monday.
Nagal will be first Indian to feature in singles top-100 since left-handed Prajnesh Gunneswaran made the cut in 2019.
It has been a terrific start to the 2024 season for the 26-year-old Indian, who qualified for the Australian Open main draw and knocked out top-30 player Alexander Bublik in the first round.
Nagal has been in tremendous form as he won the Chennai Open without dropping a set.