Bengaluru, Feb 25 (IANS) 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.
“We are good friends, so it was a little bit nervous in the beginning. He’s more experienced, I am the younger one who wants to win–we thought it would be different in the beginning, but we played up and down,” said Barton after the gruelling contest. “I was playing well in the front, he was better at the back, we were matching style to style. In the third set, I broke him in the fourth game and then tried to hold my serve. That’s what I accomplished and I am happy.”
“For me, these are the best conditions. I like the heat and humidity. I feel the rhythm. I really don’t mind it; I actually quite like it,” added Barton, who has enjoyed an Indian spring, playing Challengers all over the country since the turn of the year.
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
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