Nagal ousted in Chennai Open Rd 1

Chennai: Antoine Escoffier of France caused the first upset of the Chennai Open ATP Challenger here, sending fifth seed Sumit Nagal packing with 6- 3, 6- 3 win. The two other seeded players in action on the opening day of the $ 50,000 event, Duckhee Lee ( no. 3) and Egypt’s Mohammed Safwat ( 4), advanced with straightforward wins. While Lee beat N. Vijay Sundar Prashanth 6- 3, 64, Safwat got past Alessandro Bega of Italy 6- 4, 6- 3. Escoffier shut out Nagal easily. He broke the Indian in the first and ninth games to win the first set 6- 3. In the second set, it was evenstevens till three games all. Escoffier held serve and broke the Indian in the next game to lead 5- 3 and take the upper hand. He then served out in the next game to show Nagal the exit. Qualifiers Arjun Khade, Wishaya Trongcharoenchaikul ( Thailand) and Sidharth Rawat got through to the second round.