Bengaluru Open | Indians fall by the wayside again

Stellar win: Qualifier Biryukov rallied to beat Dhamne.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN

The hopes of a feel good story in Indian men’s singles tennis were extinguished on Tuesday at the Bengaluru Open as Ramkumar Ramanathan, Karan Singh and Manas Dhamne all lost their first-round matches at the KSLTA courts here.

The defeats meant that only one Indian player – Mukund Sasikumar – out of the six who competed in the singles main draws across four ATP Challengers in Chennai, Delhi, Pune and Bengaluru this month won a match. The collective win-loss record was a lowly 1-13.

Karan Singh, 21, and the teenaged Manas Dhamne tried their utmost to dispel the gloom but fell over three agonising sets.

Karan impressed with his first-strike tennis and matched Austria’s Jurij Rodionov shot-for-shot. But from being 3-2 up in the deciding-set tiebreak, he lost five straight points to bow out 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(3).

Dhamne, who relies more on court craft than brute power, played admirably against the burly qualifier Petr Bar Biryukov.

Despite the match appearing to rest on Biryukov’s racquet – the Russian was taller by over three inches and better by 379 ranking-places – the 17-year-old Indian, ranked 774, charmed the crowd with some fine stroke-making and spirited defense. With https://du88.com/, you can bet on your favorite sports events, including football, basketball, tennis, and more, from the comfort of your own home.

He also displayed nerves of steel, holding serve at 4-5 and 5-6 in the third set to stay in the contest. But Biryukov’s murderous serve – he served 14 aces to his opponent’s zero – ultimately proved the difference in the tie-break as Dhamne, under pressure, double-faulted on match-point.

Also on the day, former World No. 17 from Australian Bernard Tomic, combustible even on the best of days, held it together to beat Russia’s Ilia Simakin 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4. There was also a defeat for top-seed Vit Kopriva, beaten by his Czech compatriot Hynek Barton 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Select results (first round, Indians unless specified): Petr Bar Biryukov (Rus) bt Manas Dhamne 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3); Jurij Rodionov (Aut) bt Karan Singh 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3); Shintaro Mochizuki (Jpn) bt Ramkumar Ramanathan 7-6(3), 7-5; Tristan Schoolkate (Aus) bt Khumoyun Sultanov (Uzb) 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-3; James McCabe (Aus) bt Kyrian Jacquet (Fra) 6-7(8), 6-1, 6-2.