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Bengaluru Open 2017: Borna Gojo dumps second seed out

The Croatian began on a sound note and achieved the crucial break in the fifth game to go 3-2 and won 6-4.

Bengaluru: Qualifier Borna Gojo created the biggest flutter of the day when he knocked out the second seed Adrian Menendez-Maceiras of Spain home in the opening round of the US $ 100,000 Bengaluru Open 2017, an event on the Challenger Tour being played at the KSLTA Stadium here on Tuesday. The 19-year-old was a 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 winner over the fancied player.

The Croatian began on a sound note and achieved the crucial break in the fifth game to go 3-2 and won 6-4. However, the following two sets saw a topsy-turvy trail for the youngster as he lost three serves in the second to lose tamely 1-6. In the final set, he saved as many as 10 break points and went on to finally close at 7-5.

Top seed Blaz Kavcic of Slovania was stretched by Bosnian Tomislav Brkic before prevailing 6-2, 6-7, 7-6 in a match that lasted two hours and 32 minutes. India’s Suraj Prabodh who had been given a wildcard went down fighting to fourth seed Elias Ymer 4-6, 6-7.

Mysore lad Suraj who is been a promising youngster admitted that he was intimidated by his opponent’s ranking and the players he had felled, before the start of the game. However, with two breaks, he went 4-2 up in the opening set and lost the momentum after that to go down 4-6, thanks to a number of unforced errors. In the second set, he did make a late comeback and took the set into a tie-breaker, from where he went down tamely.

India’s best bet third seeded Yuki Bhambri, although looked a bit patchy owing to a groin strain, won against compatriot N Sriram Balaji in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.

Another Indian Ramkumar Ramanathan, seeded fifth, made a superb comeback after being 4-5 down in the second set while losing the first against Frenchman Hugo Grenier. The Chennai lad won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

In a major setback for Indian fans, leading contender Saketh Myneni had to withdraw owing to a nagging right shoulder injury. He is been replaced by lucky loser Antoine Escoffier of France.

“I had this injury and I tried for a couple of days during practice but I didn’t want to take a risk,” said Myneni.

Meanwhile in a minor upset in the doubles, the Kazakhistan pair of Timur Kabibulin and Alexandr Nedovyesov defeated the fourth seeds Scott Clayton and Jonny O’Mara of Great Britain 6-4, 4-6, 10-7. The top seeded pair of Mikhail Elgin of Russia and Divij Sharan of India downed the challenge of Frenchman Geoffrey Blancaneaux and Jay Clarke of Great Britain 5-7, 6-4, 10-5.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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