There was no end to struggle of India's singles player Sumit Nagal, who yet again suffered a first round exit from the ATP Challenger circuit in Lyon, France on Monday.
Sixth seed Nagal lost 4-6, 6-7 (4) to French unseeded player Geoffrey Blancaneaux in opening round of the Euro 145,250 clay court event.
Nagal was down by a set and a break when he broke back in the eighth game of the second set to draw parity, raising hopes to stretch the contest to a decider.
Blancaneaux and Nagal struggled to hold their serves and the second set had to be decided via tie-breaker, in which the local favourite prevailed.
It was Nagal's sixth first-round defeat on the Challenger circuit in the 2025 season. He had started the season inside top-100 but his ranking has now plummeted to 170.
