Bengaluru Open | Indians fall by the wayside again

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

The hopes of a really feel good story in Indian males’s singles tennis have been extinguished on Tuesday on the Bengaluru Open as Ramkumar Ramanathan, Karan Singh and Manas Dhamne all misplaced their first-round matches on the KSLTA courts right here.

The defeats meant that just one Indian participant – Mukund Sasikumar – out of the six who competed within the singles predominant attracts throughout 4 ATP Challengers in Chennai, Delhi, Pune and Bengaluru this month gained a match. The collective win-loss document was a lowly 1-13.

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

Karan impressed together with his first-strike tennis and matched Austria’s Jurij Rodionov shot-for-shot. However from being 3-2 up within the deciding-set tiebreak, he misplaced 5 straight factors to bow out 4-6, 6-4, 6-7(3).

Dhamne, who depends extra on court docket craft than brute energy, performed admirably in opposition to the burly qualifier Petr Bar Biryukov.

Regardless of the match showing to relaxation on Biryukov’s racquet – the Russian was taller by over three inches and higher by 379 ranking-places – the 17-year-old Indian, ranked 774, charmed the gang with some fantastic stroke-making and spirited protection.

He additionally displayed nerves of metal, holding serve at 4-5 and 5-6 within the third set to remain within the contest. However Biryukov’s murderous serve – he served 14 aces to his opponent’s zero – finally proved the distinction within the tie-break as Dhamne, below strain, double-faulted on match-point.

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

Choose outcomes (first spherical, Indians except 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.