Bengaluru: Qualifier Hynek Barton caused a massive upset in the Bengaluru Open on Tuesday by knocking out compatriot and top seed Vit Kopriva in a Round of 32 clash. Czech Republic's Barton came from a set down to shock Kopriva 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a tightly contested match, which lasted a little over two hours on Court 2 at the KSLTA Tennis Stadium.
Organised by the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA), the Bengaluru Open is an ATP Challenger 125 tournament with a prize pool of USD 2,00,000. It currently holds the distinction of being India’s biggest international Tennis event. The champion of this hard-court tournament will earn 125 valuable ATP ranking points.
Just days after teaming up for a semi-final run at the Delhi Open, friends and countrymen Barton and Kopriva faced off for a spot in the pre-quarterfinals. Familiar with each other’s game, they matched stride for stride in a gritty first set until Kopriva capitalised on Barton’s unforced errors to break in Game 7 and take the lead. Barton, however, turned the match around, breaking Kopriva late in the second set and early in the third to seal a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 comeback win.
Indian teen sensation Manas Dhamne’s Bengaluru Open journey came to an end in the first round, despite him putting up a brave fight against qualifier Petr Bar Biryukov. Dhamne lost the first set 6-3 but came roaring back to win the second by the same scoreline. The 17-year-old then pushed Biryukov to a tiebreaker in the third, but couldn't find an answer to his lethal first serve and succumbed to a defeat.
Elsewhere, Karan Singh’s Bengaluru Open campaign ended in the first round of the main draw as he fell to Jurij Rodionov in a hard-fought 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3) battle. The Indian qualifier showcased resilience, forcing a decider after levelling the match, but the Austrian held his nerves in the final-set tiebreak. Meanwhile, wild card Ramkumar Ramanathan put up a strong challenge against seventh seed Shintaro Mochizuki, pushing the Japanese star to the brink in both sets before bowing out 7-6(3), 7-5.
In other results, former World No. 17 Bernard Tomic mounted an impressive comeback, recovering from a set down to defeat qualifier Ilia Simakin 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4. Tomic’s Australian compatriot Tristan Schoolkate, the second seed, survived an early scare, battling past Khumoyun Sultanov 7-5, 6-7(5) 6-3 to reach the next round. Recent Delhi Open singles winner and fifth seed Kyrian Jacquet, however, suffered a surprise defeat, falling to unseeded James McCabe 6-7(8), 6-1, 6-2. IANS
Also Read: Big games equal big names: Ponting hails Kohli's Pakistan ton, calls him best ODI batter
Also Watch: