Chennai witnessed a major upset on Wednesday as singles top seed Jay Clarke crashed out in the opening round of the Chennai Open ATP Challenger Men’s International Tennis Championship 2026 at the SDAT Tennis Stadium, Nungambakkam.
While the singles draw threw up surprises, the doubles event provided strong encouragement for Indian tennis, with the top two seeded pairs and two additional Indian teams progressing to the quarter-finals.
Clarke, ranked No. 183 in the ATP rankings, began confidently against Greece’s Ioannis Xilas. The Briton broke early to surge to a 3-0 lead in the opening set and looked set to dictate proceedings. However, Xilas, 24, regrouped quickly. He broke back, settled into longer rallies, and steadily wrested control of the match. Clarke struggled to regain rhythm as Xilas closed out a 6-4, 6-4 victory, sending the top seed packing in straight sets.
In another first-round singles match, Indian qualifier Aryan Lakshmanan fought hard but eventually went down to Poland’s Maks Kasnikowski. Lakshmanan, ranked No. 1824, competed strongly in a closely contested first set before losing 7-5. Kasnikowski, ranked No. 419, raised his level in the second set to seal a 7-5, 6-2 win.
Second-round singles action saw India’s Mukund Sasikumar exit after a promising start. Mukund claimed the first set against Kazakhstan’s Denis Yevseyev but could not sustain the momentum. Yevseyev recovered to take the match 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 and book a place in the quarter-finals. Second seed Federico Agustin Gomez of Argentina also advanced, defeating Italy’s Lorenzo Carboni 6-3, 6-4 in a composed display.
While singles results offered mixed fortunes, the doubles draw showcased strong Indian representation.
Top seeds Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha and Thailand’s Pruchya Isaro advanced comfortably to the quarter-finals. The pair, who recently made their Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open after winning the Asia-Pacific Wildcard Playoff, defeated Indian duo Sai Karteek Reddy Ganta and Digvijaypratap Singh 6-4, 6-2.
“We executed our game with high energy and controlled the points. Overall, we played solid,” Poonacha said after the match. “Playing in Chennai always feels like home perfect weather, great infrastructure and very humble people. Hopefully we will go deeper in the tournament.”
Second seeds Saketh Myneni and Siddhant Banthia also progressed, though they were tested. After dropping the opening set 2-6 to the Kazakh-Ukrainian combination of Denis Yevseyev and Eric Vanshelboim, the Indian pair responded emphatically. They levelled the contest 6-1 before dominating the match tie-break 10-2 to secure their quarter-final berth.
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For Myneni, the Chennai Open holds particular significance. He is aiming to reach the final here for the third consecutive year, having won the title in 2024 and finished runner-up in 2025, both times alongside Ramkumar Ramanathan. This season, partnering Banthia, he looks determined to mount another serious challenge.
Two more Indian pairs added to the positive doubles narrative. Wildcards Lohithaksha Bathrinath and Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam edged past compatriots Manas Dhamne and Atharva Sharma in a closely fought encounter, winning 6-3, 2-6, 10-8 in the match tie-break.
Meanwhile, Ishaque Eqbal and Manish Sureshkumar recovered strongly after losing the opening set to defeat the Indo-British pair of Raghav Jaisinghani and Carl Holder 3-6, 6-1, 10-3. Their convincing tie-break performance ensured four Indian-linked teams remain in contention in the doubles quarter-finals.
Elsewhere in doubles, the British duo of Felix Gill and Alastair Gray overcame Francis Casey Alcantara and Adil Kalyanpur 6-2, 7-6(5).
Looking ahead, second-round singles action continues on Thursday. India No. 1 Sumit Nagal is set to face big-serving Petr Bar Biryukov in a key clash, while qualifier Sidharth Rawat, fresh off his earlier upset win, will take on Maks Kasnikowski.
With the singles draw already witnessing a top-seed exit and the doubles field featuring strong Indian representation, the Chennai Open has begun to develop compelling storylines. As the tournament moves into its business end, local fans will be hoping the momentum in doubles translates into deeper runs and sustained Indian presence in the latter stages of the competition.
