Suresh, Dhamne march into quarter-finals, Nagal bows out after epic battle

Bengaluru, Jan 7 (PTI) Indian tennis players had a mixed day at the Bengaluru Open as Dhakshineswar Suresh and Manas Dhamne advanced to the quarterfinals with hard-fought victories, while former champion Sumit Nagal exited after a gruelling battle against second seed Harold Mayot.

Mayot saved seven match points in a gruelling three-set battle before pipping Nagal 7-6(2), 6-1, 7-6(11).

Mayot broke early in the opening set, but Nagal responded with trademark resolve, clawing back the break two games later to force a tie-break. It was there that Mayot raised his level, using sustained pressure to take the opener.

The India No. 1 shifted tactics in the second set, frequently approaching the net to disrupt rhythm, breaking Mayot early and racing through the set with authority.

The third set turned into a war of attrition, with Nagal producing a series of spectacular returns that forced Mayot to stretch and scramble. Both players pushed their limits to stay even, leading to another tie-break where Nagal’s hard hitting forehand earned him an early edge.

However, fatigue caught up late, and Mayot’s solid defence and composure under pressure ultimately sealed the contest in three hours and nine minutes.

Earlier in the day, Suresh battled past 19-year-old Felix Balshaw in a dramatic three-set encounter, winning 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(4).

The 25-year-old pocketed the opening set with the help of his trademark big serves and solid baseline play. Balshaw responded strongly as his one-handed backhand and serve began to fire in the second set, capitalising on Suresh’s visible dip in energy.

The decider turned into a tense, neck-and-neck affair. After being broken late, the Indian showed remarkable resilience, striking deep, well-placed returns to break back and force a tie-break.

In the tie-breaker, Suresh’s grit stood out as he absorbed early pressure before pinning Balshaw into the corners to pull away and seal the win.

18-year-old wildcard Dhamne also provided plenty of cheer for the home fans as he produced a steady performance to overcome Kazakhstan’s Beibit Zhukayev 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.

Indian pairing SD Prajwal Dev and Nitin Kumar Sinha advanced to the last eight in the doubles draw along with top seeds Sriram Balaji, of India, and Neil Oberleitner, of Austria, the Dutch duo of Max Houkes and Niels Visker, and the duo of Petr Bar Biryukov and Grigoriy Lomakin. PTI BS ATK