Mukund Sasikumar Secures Comeback Win To Advance To Round Of 16 Of Delhi Open

(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, Feb 11 (IANS) India's Mukund Sasikumar produced a thrilling comeback to advance to the round-of-16 at the Delhi Open, defeating France's Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 in his opening-round match.

With the singles main draw now in full flow at the DLTA Complex, India's second-highest-ranked singles player put in a resilient performance, showing his intent for a deep run into the tournament.

Organised by the Delhi Lawn tennis Association under the auspices of the All India Tennis Association, the Delhi Open is an ATP Challenger 75 tournament played on hard courts with USD 100,000 prize money on offer. The winner of the singles tournament also rakes in 75 crucial ATP points.

Fresh from his part in India's Davis Cup 2025 World Group I Playoffs victory over Togo, Mukund started his Delhi Open 2025 journey on the back foot, dropping the first set 4-6 against Wayenburg, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser from qualifying. However, he relied on a strong service game in the second, winning 6-2 after converting three of four break points.

Carrying the momentum forward, Mukund completely dominated the decider, breaking his opponent three times to seal a commanding 6-0 final set victory. He will next face Belgium's Michael Geerts in the round of 16.

Meanwhile, wildcard Ramkumar Ramanathan showed glimpses of a similar fightback but ultimately fell short against Dalibor Svrcina. After dropping the opening set, Ramkumar forced a decider with a solid fightback in the second, yet couldn't sustain his push, losing in three.

Among the seeded players, third seed Tristan Schoolkate had a strong start against Turkey's Ergi Kirkin, taking the first set 6-0. Kirkin, however, responded in the second, pushing Schoolkate into a tense tiebreaker, which the Australian finally edged 7(12)-6(10).

Sixth seed Shintaro Mochizuki, a 21-year-old rising sensation from Japan who can count the 2019 Wimbledon boys' singles title among his achievements, also advanced, securing a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Denmark's August Holmgren.

In other results, France's Kyrian Jacquet defeated seventh seed Sho Shimabukuro of Japan in straight sets, while the United Kingdom's Jay Clarke made light work of his opponent Masamichi Imamura, winning 6-1, 6-4.

Qualifier Andre Ilagan prolonged his run into the competition with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Marek Gengel. Meanwhile, after a two-hour-long battle, Australia's James McCabe overcame Italy's Enrico Dalla Valle in three sets.

MENAFN11022025000231011071ID1109192989