ATP Karnataka Open: Main Draw Disappointment As 3 Indian Players Crash Out On Day 1*
It was a far from ideal start for the Indian contingent in the ATP Karnataka Open (Bengaluru 2 Challenger) at the S.M. Krishna Tennis Stadium as three players crashed out in the first round of the competition on Monday (May 11).
Wildcards Maan Kesharwani and Dev Javia, and the 537th ranked Sidharth Rawat headlined main draw action today but in what was a major disappointment, all three players suffered straight set exits in the first round of the tournament.
Rawat, who is the sixth-ranked Indian player in the world in Men’s Tennis, began proceedings for the Indian contingent by taking on Thailand’s Maximus Jones (#442), and he went down 6-4 7-6 (3) in two very tightly contested sets. Rawat managed to convert 3 of the 5 break points he induced but still that did not prove to be enough as Jones stepped up during the big moments to produce a straight set victory.
The Prayagraj-born Kesharwani, who is ranked outside the Top 1000, was then up against Czech Republic’s Dominik Palan (#500) in what was a debut in the Challenger circuit in singles for the former. The 25-year-old, known for his explosiveness on both wings, held serve six times in a row to take it to a tiebreak.
At 6-4, Kesharwani was in pole position to take the first set but heartbreak ensued as the youngster was unable to convert not just one, but a total of five set points. Palan eventually won the grueling tiebreaker 12-10, breaking Kesharwani to steal the set in just his second set point. As the second set commenced, the Indian wildcard was visibly hampered by injury as he struggled to keep up with the intensity, getting broken in the third game of the set. The physio made a visit to the court but it was to no avail as Kesharwani succumbed 6-4 in the second despite a valiant effort.
The biggest disappointment of the day, though, came in the final match on center court as highly rated youngster Javia, a former number one ranked Indian junior in the AITA Boys U-14 and U-18 category, was firmly outclassed by Serbian teenager Ognjen Milic as the 395th ranked 18-year-old needed just 1 hour and 17 minutes to wrap up the clash 6-1 7-6 (5).
The legendary Rohan Bopanna was in attendance for the clash but Javia was unable to draw much inspiration early on as Milic ran away with the first set as soon as he broke Javia in the left-hander’s very first service game. Nothing encapsulated Javia’s struggles more than the fact that he managed to win just 57% of his first-serve points in the first set.
The match looked for an early finish as Milic got an early break in the second and served for the match at 5-4, but Javia managed to find late inspiration as he broke back and eventually enforced a tiebreak. However, ultimately it proved to be too little too late as Milic won the tiebreak 7-5 to make it three losses in three for Indian players on the first day.
The good news, though, is that there are still seven Indian players left in the draw, including sixth seed Karan Singh, who is the third-ranked Indian in Men’s Tennis. Karan and Mukund Sasikumar will be among seven Indians who will be in action in the main draw on Tuesday (May 12).
Earlier today, 23-year-old Aditya Vishal Balsekar was the sole Indian to make it out of the Qualifiers.
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