Ranzi Sports

Bengaluru, May 19: Indian players delivered an unforgettable performance on the opening day of the SM Krishna Memorial Open, spearheaded by wild card Manish Sureshkumar’s remarkable first-round victory against top seed and recently crowned Karnataka Open champion Keegan Smith (USA). Manish, aged 26, triumphed over the World No. 245 and tournament favourite with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in one hour and 46 minutes, marking what could be considered the most significant win of the tournament thus far.

Manish, who is currently ranked 737 in the world and recently reached his first Challenger quarterfinal last week, appeared increasingly at ease competing at a higher level.

“Last week was my first Challenger quarter-final. I’m kind of getting used to the level now, because the pace is kind of different,” Manish remarked following his victory.

Despite Keegan serving 11 aces, the American faced challenges with consistency, accumulating 41 unforced errors in contrast to Manish’s 22. The Indian player managed the pressure adeptly and played with a sense of freedom against the top seed.

“I think he had the pressure, not me, because I was kind of the underdog. So, I decided that I’m going to go out there and play freely, you know, go for my shots and try to compete, and not give away easy points,” Manish elaborated.

Manish secured a break in the third game of the first set before Keegan briefly equalized. A timely break in the ninth game allowed the Indian to take the set 6-4. The American responded strongly in the second set, achieving two breaks of serve to level the match.

However, the final set was dominated by Manish’s determination and strategic discipline. Confronted with 15-40 in the opening game, he rallied to earn an early break and gain momentum. Another break in the seventh game solidified his control before he completed the upset against a player who had seemed nearly invincible during last week’s Karnataka Open campaign.

India achieved notable success through Sidharth Rawat, who delivered a composed performance to overcome Omar Jasika (Australia) with scores of 7-6(4), 6-3. Rawat narrowly won a closely fought tiebreak in the first set before elevating his game in the second set to secure the match in straight sets.

The seasoned player Mukund Sasikumar also advanced after enduring a tough challenge from eighth seed Maximus Jones (Thailand), winning 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) in a match that lasted two hours and 17 minutes. Mukund consistently recovered from challenging situations and demonstrated greater composure in both tiebreaks to progress.

Promising local wild card Kriish Tyagi continued his remarkable performance with a 7-6 (8), 7-6 (4) victory against Kuan-Yi Lee (Chinese Taipei). The young talent exhibited exceptional temperament, saving a set point at 5-6 in the first set before triumphing in a thrilling tiebreak. He followed this by winning another tiebreak in the second set.

Another Indian wild card, Aditya Vishal Balsekar, pushed third seed Hamish Stewart (Great Britain) to the limit before ultimately losing 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-4 in a demanding two-hour and 36-minute match.

Balsekar’s determined comeback to force a deciding set after dominating the second-set tiebreak nearly resulted in an upset, but Stewart ultimately maintained his composure to survive the challenge.

Unfortunately, Indian hopes were dashed for Aradhya Kshitij, who was defeated by second seed Alastair Gray (Great Britain), while Karan Singh, Prajwal Dev, Digvijaypratap Singh, and lucky loser Nitin Kumar Sinha also exited the tournament.

Earlier, the draw had already become more favorable after fifth seed Philip Sekulic (Australia) withdrew due to a lower back injury, allowing Nitin Kumar Sinha to enter the main draw as a lucky loser.