New Delhi: Top seeds Zeel Desai and Suraj Prabodh scored contrasting wins in the opening round of the Fenesta Open national tennis championship at the RK Khanna Stadium here on Monday.
Desai eased past Harshita Chugh 6-2, 6-0 while Prabodh had to dig deep to beat Ansu Kumar Bhuyan 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-3.
“It is my first time in the women’s category at the Fenesta Open and I am happy to win the first round. I look forward to keeping up the momentum,” Desai said.
Ranked players in the men’s singles draw had a tough time as fifth seed Prajwal Dev was ousted by Manish Sureshkumar 6-3 6-4 while Manish Sureshk-umar defeated fifth seed Prajwal Dev 6-3, 6-4.
Fourth seed Dalwinder Singh after facing an early jolt recovered to beat Paras Dahiya 0-6, 6-2, 6-4 before eighth seed Faisal Qamar subdued Dhakshineshwar Suresh 7-6 (3), 6-4 to make it to the second round.
In the longest match of the day, 43-year-old Nitten Kirrtane defeated Vijay Kannan 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
The match that lasted around three hour with former champion Kirrtane winning the first set but Kannan came back to pocket the second set. The third set was close with Kirrtane finally breaking Kannan’s serve at 6-5.
“I have played Kannan earlier in the circuits, Vijay was playing very well in fact we both were coming back after lay offs. I had not played for the past two months and I am happy to pull through,” Kirrtane said.
Second seed Bava Haadin also had to use all his might to overcome Aryan Goveas 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 while third seed Kunal Anand warmed up for tougher battles ahead as he defeated Ishaque Eqbal 6-3, 6-2.
