India’s rising teenage prospect Manas Dhamne produced one of the biggest upsets of the opening round at the PMR Maha Open ATP Challenger 75 in Pune, defeating recently-crowned Delhi Open champion Stefanos Sakellaridis in straight sets to advance to the Round of 16.
Entering the tournament as a wildcard and ranked World No. 489, Dhamne overcame the higher-ranked Greek, currently World No. 220, with a composed 6-4, 7-6 victory in a match that lasted one hour and 50 minutes. The result marks a significant milestone for the young Indian, who is now projected to move to a career-best ranking of World No. 477 following this breakthrough win on home soil.
Sakellaridis arrived in Pune in strong form, having captured his maiden ATP Challenger title at the Delhi Open last week and reached the semifinals in Phan Thiet earlier this season. The Greek’s recent results and experience on the Challenger circuit made him the favourite heading into the contest, particularly in conditions that are generally conducive to his serve-oriented game.
However, Dhamne showed impressive control from the baseline, consistently extending rallies and forcing Sakellaridis into uncomfortable positions. The Indian managed to break serve in the opening set and maintained his composure on serve to close it out 6-4, setting the tone for the remainder of the match.
Statistically, Dhamne held his own against the higher-ranked opponent in key service metrics. He registered a first-serve percentage of 55% and won 67% of points on his first delivery. More notably, he was highly effective behind his second serve, winning 69% of those points compared to Sakellaridis’ 48%.
While Sakellaridis managed to win a higher percentage of his first-serve points at 72%, he struggled to convert break-point opportunities. Dhamne saved five out of eight break points, maintaining pressure during critical stages of the match.
On the return, Dhamne’s ability to capitalise on second serves proved decisive. He won 52% of second-serve return points and converted three of his eight break-point chances. In contrast, Sakellaridis converted two of three opportunities but was unable to generate sustained momentum.
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The second set saw Sakellaridis attempt to mount a comeback, with both players holding serve for much of the set. Dhamne, however, continued to apply pressure from the baseline and stayed competitive in longer exchanges. The set eventually moved into a tie-break, where the Indian held his nerve to seal the match 7-6(4).
The match concluded with a 36-shot rally on match point, underlining the physical and mental resilience displayed by Dhamne in closing out the contest against a player who had enjoyed a rich vein of form in recent weeks.
This victory also serves as a strong response from Dhamne following earlier defeats this season against Simakin in Chennai and Noguchi in Delhi. Prior to that, he had registered notable wins against Ivan Dodig, Beibit Zhukayev, Benjamin Hassan and Viktor Durasovic, and also secured the M15 Zahra title earlier in the year.
With this win, Dhamne advances to the Round of 16 where he will face former World No. 40 Ilya Ivashka, who himself caused an upset in the opening round by knocking out top seed Federico Agustin Gomez in a three-set encounter.
A victory in the next round would see the young Indian progress into the quarterfinals of an ATP Challenger event, marking another step forward in his development on the professional circuit.
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Dhamne’s straight-sets triumph over a recently crowned Challenger champion represents a statement performance and highlights his ability to compete with higher-ranked opponents at this level. As the tournament progresses, the focus will now shift to his upcoming clash against Ivashka as he looks to continue his run in Pune.
