Bengaluru Open 2023: Prajnesh marches ahead, Sasikumar goes down fighting

Prajnesh Gunneswaran breezed past Carlos Sanchez Jover of Spain by registering a 6-4, 6-3 victory while M Sasikumar went down to Jason Jung in straight sets 5-7, 4-6.

Prajnesh Gunneswaran in action during the Bengaluru Open on Monday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

India had a mixed day in the second round of Bengaluru Open 2023 qualifying matches at the KSLTA Stadium on Monday.

Prajnesh Gunneswaran breezed past Carlos Sanchez Jover of Spain by registering a 6-4, 6-3 victory while M Sasikumar went down to Jason Jung in straight sets 5-7, 4-6.

Meanwhile, top-seeded Chun-Hsin Tseng of Taipei and Australia’s Marc Polmans advanced to the Round of 16 with comprehensive wins.

Tseng, a World No. 131, did not have to break much sweat in warding off Frederico Silva of Portugal in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.

Tseng bagged the first set 6-4 with the help of a single break. The Taipei player was in full control of the proceedings, sending down three aces and winning the maximum perecentage of first serves.

The second set started in a rather bizarre manner with both Tseng and Silva trading breaks in the first five games. Both the players committed a slew of unforced errors in that passage of the game.

Tseng made the decisive break in the sixth game of the second set after saving six breakpoints, which gave him a 4-2 lead. Tseng took the lead to 5-3 with another easy hold in the eighth game.

A forehand unforced error while returning by Silva handed Tseng the match point which was converted a point later with an ace.

In the other Round of 32 match of the day, world number 284 Marc Polmans of Australia defeated sixth-seeded Francesco Maestrelli of Italy in a lop-sided match 6-1, 6-2 to enter the Round of 16.

Meanwhile, fifth seed Luca Nardi of Italy also advanced to the Round of 16 with a facile 6-4, 6-4 win over Miljan Zekic of Serbia.