Nine Indians Advance as Coromandel Chennai Open ATP Challenger Qualifying Begins on a High

Indian players made an emphatic start to the Coromandel Chennai Open ATP Challenger Men’s International Tennis Championship 2026, with nine home contenders winning their opening-round qualifying matches at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Nungambakkam on Sunday.

The strong showing has set up four all-Indian clashes in the final round of qualifying on Monday, ensuring a sizeable local presence in the main draw. Fourth seed Nitin Kumar Sinha led the charge with a composed 6-4, 6-1 victory over compatriot Oges Theyjo Jaya Prakash in just over an hour. Sinha controlled the baseline exchanges and broke decisively in both sets to wrap up the contest in 63 minutes. Sixth seed Ishaque Eqbal was even more clinical, dispatching Great Britain’s Carl Holder 6-2, 6-0 in exactly an hour, conceding little on serve and dictating rallies throughout.

There were notable upsets as well. Alternate entrant Sai Karteek Reddy Ganta produced one of the standout performances of the day, recovering from a set down to eliminate fifth seed Grigoriy Lomakin of Kazakhstan 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Ganta raised his level in the second set, finding consistency off the forehand wing and capitalising on Lomakin’s errors in the decider.

Twenty-year-old left-hander Aryan Lakshmanan also impressed, easing past eighth seed Vadym Konovchuk of Ukraine 6-2, 6-1. Lakshmanan’s aggressive return game and effective use of angles on the hard courts proved decisive in a one-sided affair.

The most hard-fought match of the day saw 12th seed Aditya Vishal Balsekar edge fellow Indian Lohithaksha Bathrinath 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4 in a contest that lasted nearly three hours. Balsekar held his nerve in the first-set tie-break and, after dropping the second, regrouped to break at a crucial juncture in the third. Tenth seed Adil Kalyanpur also navigated a three-set battle, overcoming Atharva Sharma 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 with a strong finish in the deciding set.

Third seed Timofei Derepasko avoided an upset, defeating Indian wildcard Aniketh Venkataraman 6-1, 6-4 with a steady performance that kept the higher-ranked player on track for a main draw berth. Meanwhile, ninth seed Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam advanced via walkover against Saketh Myneni, and Siddhant Banthia secured a 7-6(1), 6-1 win over wildcard Keerthivassan Suresh. Raghav Jaisinghani also progressed, defeating wildcard Muthu Aadhitiya Senthilkumar 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

The top two seeds in qualifying India’s S.D. Prajwal Dev and Malaysia’s Mitsuki Wei Kang Leong received byes into the final round. With 12 players competing for six qualifying spots in the 32-player main draw, Monday’s action will be pivotal. Four all-Indian match-ups guarantee further local representation, and the total number of Indians in the main draw is expected to rise to 11.

The singles main draw features a competitive field. Great Britain’s Jay Clarke heads the draw as top seed, followed by Argentina’s Federico Agustin Gomez, Britain’s Oliver Crawford and Ilia Simakin. Seven Indians have already secured direct entry, led by the country’s top-ranked player Sumit Nagal, along with Karan Singh and 18-year-old Manas Dhamne.

The ATP Challenger 50 event carries total prize money of USD 63,000 (approximately Rs 60 lakhs). The singles champion will earn USD 9,500 (Rs 8,64,500) and 50 ATP ranking points, while the runner-up receives USD 5,500 (Rs 5,00,500) and 25 points. The doubles champions will take home USD 2,980, with the finalists earning USD 1,740.

The tournament is the first in a series of ATP Challenger events to be staged in India this season, with Delhi and Pune set to follow. Coromandel International Limited serves as the title sponsor, with G Square as associate sponsor and Lancor Holdings as co-sponsor. Apollo Hospitals is the medical partner, The Park Hotels the hospitality partner, and ACT Fibernet the fibernet partner.

Entry for spectators is free, with main draw matches commencing on Monday, February 9, from 10 AM onwards, extending under floodlights if required. The doubles final is scheduled for February 14, while the singles final will be played on February 15.

With strong early momentum and multiple all-Indian clashes ahead, the Coromandel Chennai Open promises a week of competitive tennis and growing local interest in the Challenger circuit.