Bengaluru: Prajnesh Gunneswaran and Evan King have faced each other three times in the last two months and co-incidentally in the first round of the Challengers. In the first instance, the Chennai-born pro had handed a straight set thumping in the Tiburon Challenger. The American returned the favour in Pune last week.
It was once again the turn of Prajnesh as he ousted the 6th seed in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round of the US $ 100,000 Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger at the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association courts here on Monday.
It was a battle of wits where Prajnesh rarely gave his opponent a chance especially with his first serves which Evan found difficult to return. After both had traded their wares, it was the Indian whodrew the first blood in the fifth game with a crucial break to go 3-2 up before wrapping up the set 6-4.
Buoyed with confidence, the 28-year-old who is ranked 252nd, made the first move with a break in the very first game of the second set. Both the rivals held on to their respective serves with an inevitable result ending in Prajnesh’s favour.
Prajnesh later combined with Ramkumar Ramanathan and sailed past the duo of Suraj Prabodh and Nitin Kumar Sinha 6-2, 6-2 in a doubles tie. In another encounter, the third seeded Indian pair of N Sriram Balaji and Vishnu Vardhan marched ahead with an easy 6-0, 6-3 victory over the duo from Spain — Mario Vilella and Bernabe Zapata Miralles, the first alternate team.
The original opponents Pedja Krstin and Tsung Hua Yang had to withdraw owing to the former dropping out in the second set of his singles match against Brydan Klein earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, Yuki Bhambri, looking for a second title in as many weeks, was confident of a good show as he takes on country-mate N Sriram Balaji.
“It is good to enter a tournament with a reasonable success. You have the confidence and I am pretty happy with my game,” said the 25-year-old who is ranked 126th and a win here could give him a direct entry at the first Major of the season, the Australian Open in January.
“I am not particularly looking to qualify but I want to sustain my form and work towards improving my ranking,” said the Delhiite after knocking some balls at the KSLTA for the first time since he arrived in Bengaluru.
Results (Singles): Round 1: Brydan Klein (GBR) bt Pedja Krstin (SRB) 6-4, 1-0 (retd); Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND) bt 6-Evan King (USA) 6-4, 6-4; Jay Clarke (GBR) bt Sidharth Rawat (IND) 6-3, 6-3; Geoffrey Blancaneaux (FRA) lt to Marc Polmans (AUS) 6-7 (2), 3-6
