Sriram Balaji in pre-quarterfinals of German Challenger

Balaji will play the second seeded German, Matthias Bachinger in the pre-quarterfinals.

Balaji overcame Strombachs in straight sets in Augsburg.

Qualifier Sriram Balaji crushed German wild card Robert Strombachs 6-1, 6-1 in the first round of the €46,600 Challenger tennis tournament in Augsburg, Germany, on Tuesday. Balaji will play the second seeded German, Matthias Bachinger in the pre-quarterfinals. However, Sasi Kumar Mukund went down fighting to another German wild card, 6-4, 1-6, 6-7(6) in the first round. In the $25,000 ITF women’s event in Chiswick in England, second seed Ankita Raina bounced back from a tough start to beat Estelle Cascino of France 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in the first round. In the $15,000 ITF women’s event in Nairobi, top seed and two-time national champion Mahak Jain cruised into the second round with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Paulina Jastrzebska of Poland.

The results: € 46,600 Challenger, Augsburg, Germany Singles (first round): Daniel Altmaier (Ger) bt Sasi Kumar Mukund 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(6); Sriram Balaji bt Robert Strombachs (Ger) 6-1, 6-1. $15,000 ITF men, Jakarta, Indonesia Singles (first round): Niki Poonacha bt Obeda Muhamad Arazza (Ina) 6-2, 6-1. Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Aryan Goveas & Karunuday Singh bt Justin Barki (Ina) & Ruan Roelofse (RSA) 2-6, 6-4, [11-9]; Kunal Anand & Manish Sureshkumar bt Armando Soemarno & Giorgio Alessandro Soemarno (Ina) 7-6(8), 6-2. $25,000 ITF women, Chiswick, England Singles (first round): Ankita Raina bt Estelle Cascino (Fra) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. $15,000 ITF women, Nairobi, Kenya Singles (first round): Mahak Jain bt Paulina Jastrzebska (Pol) 6-0, 6-2; Sariaka Radilofe (Fra) bt Niditra Rajmohan 6-4, 6-3; Sofia Dmitrieva (Rus) bt Sravya Shivani Chilakalapudi 6-1, 6-1; Faith Nyabera Omurunga (Ken) bt Vibhasree Gowda 6-1, 3-6, 6-3; Nevena Sokovic (Srb) bt Snehal Mane 6-4, 2-6, 6-0. Doubles (pre-quarterfinals): Sathwika Sama & Saumya Vig bt Mariana Galvao Borges (Bra) & Adi Gavish (Isr) 6-2, 6-0; Deeksha Manju Prasad & Niditra Rajmohan bt Julia Konishi Camargo Silva (Bra) & Alicia Owegi (Ken) 6-2, 6-2; Tamara Barad Itzhaki (Isr) & Anfisa Danilchenko (Rus) w.o. Fatiya Shariff (Ken) & Vibhasree Gowda. $15,000 ITF women, Tabarka, Tunisia Singles (first round): Sowjanya Bavisetti bt Alica Rusova (Svk) 6-1, 6-1.