Manish Sureshkumar Stuns Top Seed Keegan Smith as Indians Shine at SM Krishna Memorial Open
Indian players produced a memorable opening day at the SM Krishna Memorial Open in Bengaluru on Tuesday, headlined by wildcard Manish Sureshkumar’s stunning upset victory over top seed and recent Karnataka Open champion Keegan Smith of the United States.
The 26-year-old Indian defeated the World No. 245 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in one hour and 46 minutes to register arguably the biggest result of his professional career and one of the standout upsets of the tournament so far. It was a significant moment not only for Manish personally but also for Indian tennis overall, with multiple Indian players delivering strong performances throughout the opening round at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium.
Coming into the tournament, Manish had already shown encouraging signs after reaching his maiden Challenger quarterfinal last week. Against Keegan Smith, however, the Indian demonstrated a new level of composure and belief against a far higher-ranked opponent. Despite Keegan’s powerful serving display that included 11 aces, the American struggled badly with consistency throughout the match. The top seed committed 41 unforced errors compared to Manish’s disciplined total of just 22.
That difference proved decisive.
Manish absorbed pressure intelligently from the baseline and consistently forced Keegan into difficult rallies. More importantly, the Indian embraced the underdog role without hesitation.
“I think he had the pressure, not me,” Manish said after the match. “I decided that I’m going to go out there and play freely, go for my shots and try to compete, and not give away easy points.”
The Indian secured an early break in the opening set before Keegan briefly fought back. However, another timely break in the ninth game allowed Manish to close out the set 6-4. The American responded strongly in the second set with aggressive returning and two breaks of serve to level the contest, but the deciding set belonged entirely to the Indian wildcard.
Facing 15-40 in the opening game of the decider, Manish showed remarkable resilience to survive the danger before immediately breaking Keegan’s serve to seize momentum. From there, the Indian controlled proceedings confidently and sealed the upset with another break in the seventh game. For a player ranked 737 in the world, the victory represented a major statement.
“Last week was my first Challenger quarterfinal. I’m kind of getting used to the level now because the pace is different,” Manish added.
India’s strong day continued through experienced campaigners Mukund Sasikumar and Sidharth Rawat. Mukund survived a gruelling two-hour and 17-minute battle against eighth seed Maximus Jones of Thailand, winning 7-6(5), 7-6(5). The Indian repeatedly escaped difficult moments and relied heavily on his experience during both tiebreaks. Mukund’s ability to stay composed under pressure ultimately proved the difference in one of the longest matches of the day.
Meanwhile, Sidharth Rawat produced another impressive performance to defeat Australia’s Omar Jasika 7-6(4), 6-3.
Rawat edged a tightly contested opening-set tiebreak before raising his level significantly during the second set to complete a straight-set victory. The Indian looked particularly sharp from the baseline and handled Jasika’s aggressive shot-making with maturity throughout the contest.
Among the standout Indian performances was another confident display from Bengaluru teenager Kriish Tyagi. The wildcard entrant defeated Kuan-Yi Lee of Chinese Taipei 7-6(8), 7-6(4) in a match that showcased both his mental strength and growing maturity at professional level. Kriish saved a set point at 5-6 during the opening set before eventually winning a dramatic tiebreak. He then backed that up with another composed breaker in the second set to close out the victory.
The youngster’s fearless approach and ability to handle pressure situations continue to attract attention within Indian tennis circles.
Another Indian wildcard, Aditya Vishal Balsekar, also impressed despite eventually losing to third seed Hamish Stewart of Great Britain. Balsekar pushed the Briton to the limit in a physically demanding two-hour and 36-minute contest before falling 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-4. After losing the opening set, the Indian dominated the second-set tiebreak and looked capable of producing another upset before Stewart’s experience eventually helped him survive the scare.
Not all Indian players enjoyed success on the opening day. Aradhya Kshitij was comprehensively beaten by second seed Alastair Gray, while Karan Singh lost in three sets to Malaysia’s Mitsuki Wei Kang Leong despite taking the opening set. Prajwal Dev, Digvijaypratap Singh and lucky loser Nitin Kumar Sinha also exited the singles draw.
Earlier in the day, fifth seed Philip Sekulic withdrew from the tournament due to a lower back injury, allowing Nitin Kumar Sinha to enter the main draw as a lucky loser.
Despite a few exits, the overall picture remained highly encouraging for Indian tennis. The performances of Mukund and Sidharth highlighted the depth of experienced domestic professionals still competing strongly on the Challenger circuit. Meanwhile, younger players like Kriish Tyagi and Aditya Balsekar demonstrated the growing promise emerging from the next generation.
But the biggest story unquestionably belonged to Manish Sureshkumar. His victory over Keegan Smith not only opened up the draw significantly but also reinforced the belief that Indian players can increasingly compete with higher-ranked international opposition when given opportunities at Challenger level.
For Indian tennis, it was a day filled with confidence, resilience, and signs of progress.
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