Sumit Nagal's hopes of securing a coveted wild-card entry into the 2026 Australian Open have been dashed after an early exit from the Asia-Pacific wild-card playoff tournament in Chengdu, China. Nagal, India's top-ranked singles player, suffered astraight-sets defeat in the quarter-finals against China's Yunchaokete Bu.

The sixth-seeded Nagal lost to the top-seeded Bu 2-6, 2-6 on Thursday. The Chengdu event, held at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre from November 24–29, offers the men's and women's singles winners a wild-card entry into the main draw of the Australian Open.

Nagal's participation in the playoff was initially uncertain after his visa was rejected. He publicly appealed to Chinese authorities for intervention. He expressed his frustration on social media, tagging the Chinese Ambassador to India and the Chinese Embassy, seeking their urgent assistance. Nagal's plea was successful, and he secured the visa in time to compete.

Nagal started the tournament with a win against China's Minghui Zhang. After losing the first set, Nagal recovered to win the match 2-6, 6-0, 6-2.

The 28-year-old Nagal achieved a career-high singles ranking of 68 in July 2024, but his current ranking is 275. He has been a member of India's Davis Cup team since 2018. In January, he lost in the first round of the Australian Open and failed to qualify for the French Open and Wimbledon. Nagal won the 2015 Wimbledon boys' doubles title with Vietnam's Ly Hoang Nam.

Nagal famously took a set off Roger Federer at the 2019 US Open before losing the match. He secured his first Grand Slam main draw win at the US Open a year later. In 2024, he reached the second round of the Australian Open, where he upset Alexander Bublik.