India’s Karan Singh bowed out after a spirited three-set contest against seventh seed Daniel Michalski of Poland in the opening round of the ATP Delhi Open 2026 main draw at the DLTA Complex on Monday.
While Singh exited, compatriot Manish Sureshkumar ensured continued Indian presence in singles by fighting his way through qualifying to reach the main draw of the ATP Challenger 75 event.
The sixth edition of the Delhi Open, being held from February 16 to 22, features a 32-player singles draw and 16 doubles teams, with valuable ranking points and prize money at stake.
Karan pushes Michalski to the limit
Wild card entrant Karan Singh produced a determined performance but ultimately went down 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 to Michalski in a match defined by narrow margins and shifting momentum. Singh began confidently, taking the opening set with aggressive baseline play and measured serving. However, Michalski responded under pressure in the second set, saving himself from the brink and edging the tie-break to force a decider.
The Polish player then carried that momentum into the third set, tightening his groundstrokes and capitalising on a crucial break to close out the contest. Reflecting on the turnaround, Michalski admitted how close he was to an early exit. “I was already with one foot outside of the tournament. Then my game came back, and I showed way better tennis at the end. Tennis at the higher level is a sport of very tiny margins,” he said.
Elsewhere in the main draw, fifth seed Oliver Crawford of Great Britain edged Croatia’s Duje Ajdukovic 7-6(3), 7-5 in a tightly contested encounter, while Belgium’s Michael Geerts advanced with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Lithuania’s Edas Butvilas.
Sureshkumar seizes his opportunity
If Karan’s loss was a disappointment, Manish Sureshkumar’s rise through qualifying provided a compelling counterpoint. Entering the draw at the last minute as an alternate, the 26-year-old Chennai player has made the most of his opportunity. In the final round of qualifying, Sureshkumar overcame Korea’s Uisung Park 6-3, 7-5, showing composure after trailing 3-5 in the second set. He reeled off four consecutive games to seal his place in the main draw.
The victory was especially meaningful for Sureshkumar at the DLTA Complex.
“This is one of my favourite courts because I’ve played a lot of matches here. Even the two Nationals I have won have been on this court. It’s really special for me,” he said. “I hung in there even when I was down a break in the second set. I’m very happy to pull off this match.”
Watch Indian Live Scores and Play Quiz – Download IndiaSportsHub App
Having gained entry unexpectedly, Sureshkumar is embracing his underdog status.
“Sometimes unexpected things happen when you don’t expect them. I just want to keep the momentum going in the main draw. I don’t think I have any pressure all of them are really good players. I’m the underdog, so I’ll just keep playing freely.”
He is the only Indian to emerge successfully from the qualifying draw. Chung returns to form
The other Indian in the final round of qualifying, Ramkumar Ramanathan, fell 6-2, 6-2 to Korea’s Hyeon Chung.
Chung, a former world No. 19 and the 2018 Australian Open semi-finalist where he famously defeated Novak Djokovic en route to the last four is continuing his comeback after persistent back injuries forced him off the tour for an extended period. Currently ranked No. 393, the 29-year-old displayed sharp movement and clean ball-striking in dispatching Ramanathan. Top qualifying seed Denis Yevseyev of Kazakhstan, second seed Ioannis Xilas of Greece, fourth seed Maks Kasnikowski of Poland, and seventh seed Alexandr Binda of Italy also secured their spots in the main draw.
Watch Indian Live Scores and Play Quiz – Download IndiaSportsHub App
The Delhi Open holds a special place in Indian tennis. Somdev Devvarman remains the only Indian singles champion, having won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. The tournament has also seen all-Indian doubles champions twice Saketh Myneni and Sanam Singh in 2015, followed by Yuki Bhambri and Mahesh Bhupathi in 2016.
As an ATP Challenger 75 event, the tournament offers 75 ranking points to the singles and doubles champions, 50 to doubles runners-up, and 44 to the singles runner-up. The singles winner will earn $17,000 in prize money, while the runner-up will receive $9,600. Doubles champions will split $4,980, with the runners-up sharing $2,880.
With the main draw now fully underway, Indian hopes in singles rest on Sureshkumar’s momentum and the performances of the remaining domestic entrants. The early drama has already underlined one constant of Challenger-level tennis: opportunity rewards those prepared to seize it.
