Sumit Nagal scripted history for Indian tennis on Tuesday by becoming the first player from the country in 35 years to defeat a seeded opponent in a Grand Slam.

Nagal stunned world No. 27 Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in a commanding straight-set victory -- 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(7-5) -- to progress to the second round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Ranked 139th in the world, the 26-year-old Nagal had fought his way into the main draw through the qualifiers.

Before this, Ramesh Krishnan was the last Indian to have defeated a seeded player in the main draw of a Grand Slam, when he went past the then world No. 1 Mats Wilander at the 1989 Australian Open.

It's the second time that Nagal has entered the second round of a Grand Slam, having done it previously at the 2020 US Open.

(With inputs from agencies)