Maha Open: Ramanathan Advances to Final Qualifying Round
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Synopsis
Unseeded Ramkumar Ramanathan secures a remarkable victory over top-seeded Elias Ymer, advancing to the final qualifying round of the Maha Open ATP Challenger 100 Men's Tennis Championship held at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium in Pune.
Key Takeaways
- Ramkumar Ramanathan defeats Elias Ymer in a thrilling match.
- Victory avenges previous Davis Cup loss.
- Match duration: 1 hour 52 minutes.
- Ramanathan serves 9 aces.
- Other Indian players also showcased strong performances.
Pune, Feb 16 (NationPress) Unseeded Ramkumar Ramanathan shocked the top-seeded Elias Ymer of Sweden, securing a spot in the final qualifying round of the Maha Open ATP Challenger 100 Men’s Tennis Championship. This event is organized by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in collaboration with the Department of Sports and Youth Services of the Government of Maharashtra, PCMC, PMC, and PMDTA at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium.
The 30-year-old from Chennai, Ramkumar, avenged his previous Davis Cup defeat to Elias Ymer by triumphing with scores of 5-7, 6-1, and 6-4 in a match that lasted for 1 hour and 52 minutes. The 28-year-old Ymer, who had previously bested Ramanathan in their Davis Cup encounter, played well to clinch the first set. However, Ramkumar showcased an impressive serve and volley game, leading him to dominate the second set.
Though Ramkumar struggled to break Ymer in the third game, he managed to secure a break in the fifth game, ultimately winning the match. Currently ranked 403, Ramkumar delivered 9 aces throughout the match, propelling himself into the final qualifying round.
In other matches featuring Indian players, sixth-seeded Russian Ilia Simakin took 1 hour 15 minutes to defeat India’s second-ranked player Mukund Sasikumar with scores of 6-4, 6-3, thereby advancing to the final qualifying round as well.
Twelfth-seeded Matthew Dellavedova from Australia proved to be too seasoned for 16-year-old wildcard Arnav Vijay Paparkar, winning 6-2, 6-3. Although Paparkar displayed moments of brilliance, he could not overcome the experienced Australian. Former Maha Open ATP Tour champion and currently ranked 35th in the world, Jiri Vesely, also made a strong return by defeating local wildcard Siddhant Banthia with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-3.
Eleventh-seeded South African Kris Van Wyk faced a tough match against wildcard entrant Nitin Kumar Sinha, eventually winning 7-5, 7-5, while fourth-seeded Blake Ellis of Australia overcame an initial challenge to triumph over another Indian wildcard, Sidharth Rawat, with a score of 7-5, 6-2.
In two notable upsets of the day, Russian Petr Bar Biryukov defeated second-seeded Oleksandr Ovcharenko of Ukraine with scores of 6-3, 7-6(6), and Japanese Hiroki Moriya eliminated fifth-seeded Jacopo Berrettini of Italy with a scoreline of 7-5, 6-3.
