Bengaluru, Feb 24 (IANS) Karan Singh earned his place in the singles main draw of the Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger event with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6(6) victory over Aryan Shah in an all-Indian second-round clash in the Qualifying event at the KSLTA Courts here on Monday.
Singh, who made his Davis Cup debut for India during the World Group I Playoffs tie against Togo, displayed composure in a tense second-set tiebreak to wrap up the match against his talented compatriot in one hour and 15 minutes in the ATP Challenger 125 tournament.
With this win, Karan made it to the main draw of India’s biggest ATP Challenger Tour event with a prize pool of USD 200,000, the winner of which will earn 125 valuable ATP ranking points. The hard-court tournament is being organised by the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA).
Analyzing his victory over Shah and qualification for the main draw, Singh said: “I was simply holding my serve and trying to put pressure on his serve. He (Aryan) served really well. In the tiebreaker, I had some chances, but he came back really well. At 7-6, he double-faulted, and that was that. It feels good to qualify, especially here in India, in front of all the people. The crowd is amazing and I am looking forward to the main draw matches.”
The final round of qualifying also delivered a big upset, with the top-seed and Delhi Open finalist Billy Harris crashing out, following a 6-7(4) 4-6 defeat against Petr Bar Biryukov. However, second seed Ilia Simakin breezed past Japan’s Kokoro Isomura in just 48 minutes, winning 6-1, 6-1.
India’s Mukund Sasikumar was unable to join Singh in the main draw, falling to Czech Republic’s Hynek Barton in a gruelling 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 battle. Meanwhile, Spain’s Nicolas Alvarez Varona secured his spot with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win over Hiroki Moriya.
Tournament Director Sunil Yajaman expressed enthusiasm about the quality of competition in qualifying and anticipation for the main draw: “The level of competition in the qualifying rounds has been exceptional, with several closely fought matches. It sets the stage for an exciting main draw. It’s great to see Indian players like Karan (Singh) making the most of this platform. As we move into the main event, we anticipate even more high-intensity tennis, with a strong mix of international and homegrown talent competing at the highest level.”
With the main draw now set, Karan Singh will face Austria’s Jurij Rodionov in the first round. His Davis Cup teammate Ramkumar Ramanathan, meanwhile, is set for a challenging opener against seventh seed Shintaro Mochizuki (JPN), while teenager Manas Dhamne faces Biryukov.
In the early main draw Round of 32 results, Colombia’s Nicolas Mejia caused an upset by knocking out fourth seed Elmer Moller 6-3, 6-4, while Japan’s Rio Noguchi advanced with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Justin Engel. Wild card SD Prajwal Dev exited in the first round after this three-set loss to Marek Gengel, while Blake Ellis progressed with a (2)6-7, 6-4, 7-6(6) win over Michael Geerts.
Selected Results:
Qualifying (2nd Round):
[7] Petr Bar Biryukov d. [1/Alt] Billy Harris (GBR) 7-6(4), 6-4; [2] Ilia Simakin d. [11] Kokoro Isomura (JPN) 6-1, 6-1; [6] Hynek Barton (CZE) d. [8] Mukund Sasikumar (IND) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4; [4] Nicolas Alvarez Varona (ESP) d. [10] Hiroki Moriya (JPN) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; [9] Kasidit Samrej (THA) d. [3] Jacopo Berrettini (ITA) 6-2, 2-6, 7-6(3); Karan Singh (IND) d. Aryan Shah (IND) 6-4, 7-6(6)
Main Draw (Round of 32):
Nicolas Mejia (COL) d. [4] Elmer Moller (DEN) 6-3, 6-4; Rio Noguchi (JPN) d. Justin Engel (GER) 7-5, 6-2; Blake Ellis (AUS) d. Michael Geerts (BEL) (2) 6-7, 6-4, 7-6(6); Marek Gengel (CZE) d. [WC] SD Prajwal Dev (IND) (2)6-7, 6-3, 6-3
–IANS
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