India’s Yuki Bhambri and Ramkumar Ramanathan began their marketing campaign on the Tata Open Maharashtra with contrasting victories within the singles qualifying opening spherical right here on Saturday.
While Bhambri dominated Diego Hidalgo 6-2, 6-2 in a lopsided match, Chennai-based Ramanathan, who entered the draw as a wildcard, registered a sensational come-from-behind 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 win towards Otto Virtanen.
South Asia’s solely ATP 250 occasion is being performed by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in affiliation with the state authorities.
Meanwhile, different three Indians in motion – Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Sidharth Rawat and Aditya Balsekar – suffered defeats of their respective matches.
While Gunneswaran went down combating 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-5 towards the previous phrase No. 45 Maximilian Marterer, Rawat made Zdenek Kolar work arduous earlier than shedding the match by 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-1.
Balsekar was defeated by Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-0.
In different first-round matches, final 12 months’s semifinalist Elias Ymer made progress after his opponent Miljan Zekic retired. Mattia Bellucci beat Vladyslav Orlov 6-4, 6-4 and Nikola Milojevic additionally thrashed Nicholas David Ionel 6-3, 6-2.
The second and closing spherical of the qualifiers can be performed on Sunday as Bhambri, Ramanathan and others will look to win and safe the primary draw spots for themselves.
Bhambri and Ramanathan will tackle Ymer and Bellucci, respectively, within the closing spherical.
Earlier within the day, 15-year-old rising India star Manas Dhamne was handed a important draw wildcard within the singles. The Pune-born tennis prodigy Dhamne can be seen competing in the primary draw alongside international tennis stars together with world quantity 17 Marin Cilic.
The important draw will happen from January 2 to 7.