Ranzi Sports

Chennai, February 4, 2025: Duje Ajdukovic, the third seed, along with the three Indian competitors in the singles main draw, faced early exits in the opening round of the Chennai Open ATP Challenger on Tuesday.

In contrast, the tournament’s top seeds, Billy Harris and Lloyd Harris, commenced their campaigns successfully. Ajdukovic, currently ranked No. 158 globally, was defeated by Sweden’s Elias Ymer, ranked No. 332, in a closely contested match that ended with scores of 6-2, 6-7, 6-2.

The day proved challenging for Indian singles players at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Chennai, as all three local entrants were eliminated in the first round. 

Karan Singh, aged 21, lost to France’s Kyrian Jacquet with a score of 6-3, 6-3, while Ramkumar Ramanathan succumbed to Great Britain’s Jay Clarke, 6-3, 7-5.

Mukund Sasikumar managed to push his match to a deciding set but ultimately fell to Alexey Zakharov, with scores of 6-3, 6-7, 6-1.

In the doubles competition, Siddhant Banthia and Parikshit Somani triumphed in an all-Indian matchup against Sai Karteek Reddy Ganta and Vishnu Vardhan, winning 6-3, 3-6, 10-7 to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

Top seed Billy Harris from Great Britain and second seed Lloyd Harris from South Africa advanced to the second round.

Harris defeated Ukrainian qualifier Eric Vanshelboim with a score of 7-5, 6-2, while second seed Lloyd Harris, a former US Open quarter-finalist, overcame another Ukrainian qualifier, Yurii Dzhavakian, with scores of 6-3, 5-7, 6-0.

The tournament will continue on Wednesday, featuring the remaining first-round singles and doubles matches, as well as the commencement of the second-round singles matches.

The doubles draw includes Indian pairs Vijay Sundar Prashanth/Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan as the second seeds and Saketh Myneni/Vishnu Vardhan as the third seeds