MahaOpen ATP Challenger: Sultanov and Rodionov Shock Seeds; Wildcards Dhamne and Shah Exit Early
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Synopsis
The MahaOpen ATP Challenger witnessed early exits for Indian wildcards Manas Dhamne and Aryan Shah, as Khumoyun Sultanov and Jurij Rodionov upset seeded players. Hosted in Pune, the event highlighted the challenges faced by local talents in a competitive field.
Key Takeaways
- Unseeded players shocked seeded competitors.
- Aryan Shah and Manas Dhamne both suffered first-round defeats.
- Khumoyun Sultanov achieved the day's biggest upset.
- Jurij Rodionov staged a remarkable comeback.
- The event continues to showcase international tennis talent.
Pune, Feb 18 (NationPress) The hope for Indian players in the singles category faded as wildcards and promising young athletes Manas Dhamne and Aryan Shah faced defeats in the opening round of the MahaOpen ATP Challenger 100 Men’s Tennis Championship held here on Tuesday. In a surprising twist, unseeded Khumoyun Sultanov from Uzbekistan and Jurij Rodionov from Austria managed to upset seeded competitors in their first-round matches.
This tournament is being hosted by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in collaboration with the Department of Sports and Youth Services, Government of Maharashtra, at the Balewadi Sports Complex.
The 19-year-old Aryan Shah, who received a main draw wildcard, put forth a commendable effort but was unable to overcome sixth-seeded Brandon Holt from the USA, currently ranked 153. Holt, son of legendary tennis star Tracy Austin, displayed solid baseline play, winning decisively with scores of 6-2, 6-2 in just 1 hour and 12 minutes.
In a tightly contested match lasting 1 hour and 42 minutes, top-seeded Billy Harris from Great Britain, ranked 110, overcame the challenge posed by local talent Manas Dhamne, winning 6-4, 6-4. Dhamne began with a strong start, breaking Harris to lead 2-0 in the first set but ultimately faltered as Harris broke back twice in the first set and once in the second set to advance to the next round.
Despite playing beyond his age, Manas struggled to leverage his home advantage against the seasoned Harris, who has been performing well on the Indian circuit.
In the day's biggest upset, Khumoyun Sultanov, ranked 229 and 26 years old from Tashkent, eliminated third seed Tristan Schoolkate of Australia, last year's finalist, with scores of 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in a match that lasted 1 hour and 49 minutes.
Sultanov, who had success in several Futures events in India last year, played consistently from the baseline, forcing world number 129 Schoolkate into making errors during the decisive third set.
Another unseeded player, Jurij Rodionov from Austria, faced a tough start, losing the first set despite serving 8 aces. However, he made a strong comeback, winning the next two sets against seventh seed Shintaro Mochizuki of Japan, ranked 168, with scores of 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-2 in a match lasting 2 hours and 9 minutes. The towering 6ft 3 inches Austrian, who reached a career-high of 87 in the world rankings, served a total of 15 aces during the match.
Results (main draw):
First Round:
[1] Billy Harris (GBR) bt [WC] Manas Dhamne (IND) 6-4, 6-4; Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg (FRA) bt [Q] Petr Bar Biryukov 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-3; [6] Brandon Holt (USA) bt [WC] Aryan Shah (IND) 6-2, 6-2; [Q] Masamichi Imamura (JPN) bt [Alt] Jay Clarke (GBR) 7-6(2), 6-2; [Q] Michael Geerts (BEL) bt Marek Gengel (CZE) 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4); [5] Ugo Blanchet (FRA) bt Enzo Couacaud (FRA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; [Alt] Kyrian Jacquet (FRA) bt Rio Noguchi (JPN) 6-1, 6-3; Bernard Tomic (AUS) bt Nicolas Mejia (COL) 6-2, 6-2; Khumoyun Sultanov (UZB) bt [3] Tristan Schoolkate (AUS) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3; Jurij Rodionov (AUT) bt [7] Shintaro Mochizuki (JPN) 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-2; James McCabe (AUS) bt [Alt] Enrico Dalla Valle (ITA) 6-0, 6-3; [Q] Ilia Simakin bt [LL] Blake Ellis (AUS)6-4, 6-2.
