Raghav Jaisinghani Shocks Binda to Move Forward in SM Krishna Memorial Open
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Synopsis
Raghav Jaisinghani overcame fourth seed Alexandr Binda in a thrilling match at the SM Krishna Memorial Open, while top seeds faced challenges. Indian players, including Karan Singh and Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam, also advanced to the next round, showcasing strong performances.
Key Takeaways
- Raghav Jaisinghani achieved a stunning victory against Alexandr Binda.
- Top seeds Jay Clarke and Oliver Crawford faced tough matches.
- Multiple Indian players advanced to the second round.
- Jaisinghani emphasized the importance of sticking to his game plan.
- Kabir Hans put up a strong fight against Jay Clarke.
Bengaluru, April 2 (NationPress) The top two seeds, Jay Clarke and Oliver Crawford, faced unexpected challenges, while India’s Raghav Jaisinghani achieved a remarkable upset against the fourth seed Alexandr Binda to advance to the second round of the SM Krishna Memorial Open held at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium on Wednesday.
There was much to cheer for the Indian team as Jaisinghani secured an impressive victory over Italy’s Binda. After losing the first set, the Indian player staged a stunning comeback, winning five consecutive games, including two breaks, to take the second set 6-3. In the final set, Jaisinghani broke serve in the first and fifth games, finishing with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Having fought through two rounds of qualifying to reach the main draw, Jaisinghani shared that adhering to his strategy against Binda was crucial to his success.
“I started strong, but he played better in the first set. I had a clear strategy that I followed, and it started yielding points for me. I focused on my tactics and gradually, things turned in my favor,” Jaisinghani explained. He also mentioned having “no expectations” going into the match and emphasized taking it “one day at a time.”
“I’m not someone who sets specific goals or ranking targets. I take it match by match. It would be fantastic to progress as far as I can in the tournament, but I’m not pressuring myself,” he added.
In a near-upset, India’s Kabir Hans, who also came through the qualifying rounds, put up an incredible fight against top seed Jay Clarke. Clarke took the first set 6-4, but Kabir retaliated in the second, winning it 6-4. The third set was closely contested and ended in a tiebreak, where Clarke ultimately prevailed.
Clarke’s fellow countryman, Oliver Crawford, the second seed, also progressed to the second round by defeating Australia’s Kody Pearson in three sets.
Joining Jaisinghani in the second round were five other Indian players: Karan Singh, Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam, Manish Sureshkumar, Prajwal Dev, and Ishaque Eqbal. Singh, seeded fifth, won against the in-form Adil Kalyanpur in straight sets, while Shanmugham triumphed over Suraj R Prabodh in three sets. Sureshkumar had a commanding victory of 6-2, 7-6 (2) against Yuvan Nandal, and Eqbal achieved an easy 6-2, 6-1 win against compatriot Maan Kesharwani. In another match, Aryan Shah edged out Nitin Kumar Sinha 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, while SD Prajwal Dev secured a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Krish Tyagi.
In the doubles matches, Italy’s Alexandr Binda and Nikita Ianin defeated Manish Ganesh and Suraj R Prabodh 6-1, 6-4, while Digvijay Pratap Singh and Jagmeet Singh overcame Raghav Jaisinghani and Bharat Nishok Kumaran 5-7, 6-2, [10-7].
Day 2 results (main draw):
Men's singles:
Raghav Jaisinghani (IND) bt 4-Alexandr Binda (ITA) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4; Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam (IND) bt Suraj R Prabodh (IND) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; 2-Oliver Crawford (GBR) bt Kody Anderson (AUS) 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-5; Grigoriy Lomakin (KAZ) bt Rishi Reddy (IND) 7-6 (5), 6-3; 1-Jay Clarke (GBR) bt Kabir Hans (IND) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (2); Manish Sureshkumar (IND) bt Yuvan Nandal (IND) 6-2, 7-6 (2); 5-Karan Singh (IND) bt Adil Kalyanpur (IND) 6-1, 7-5; Ishaque Eqbal (IND) bt Maan Kesharwani (IND) 6-2, 6-1; Aryan Shah (IND) bt Nitin Kumar Sinha (IND) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3; SD Prajwal Dev (IND) bt Krish Tyagi (IND) 6-4, 6-4
Men's doubles:
Alexandr Binda (ITA)/Nikita Ianin bt Manish Ganesh (IND)/Suraj R Prabodh (IND) 6-1, 6-4; Digvijay Pratap Singh (IND)/Jagmeet Singh (IND) bt Raghav Jaisinghani (IND)/Bharat Nishok Kumaran (IND) 5-7, 6-2, [10-7]
