Tata Open Maharashtra 2020: Prajnesh, Leander Paes get off to winning starts

The third edition of the Tata Open Maharashtra 2020 is going particularly well for India's top-ranked tennis star, Prajnesh Gunneswaran as he began with a win against Germany's Yannick Maden. Gunneswaran looked to be in a sharp form as he won the match in a comprehensive straight-set victory, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5). Following his Australian Open tryst, Gunneswaran has levelled up his game considerably it seems.

The year began on a good note for the Chennai-born player who became a 'lucky loser' in the Australian Open qualifiers and gained entry into the main draw of the first Major of the year. Initially deciding to pack his bags and head home after failing to win in the final round of qualifiers, Gunneswaran turned lucky as a player withdrew at the eleventh hour and made it possible for the 30-year-old to clash against Japan's Tatsuma Ito. In fact, had Gunneswaran won the first-round match, he would have met Serbian World No. 1, Novak Djokovic, in the second round.

Also read: Emotional Leander Paes breaks down before playing his last ATP event in India

It seems like the good luck phase is continuing for Gunneswaran as the 122nd ranked player in the world began his Tata Maharashtra Open quest on a positive note after defeating talented German Challenger Yannick Maden. The duo had met only once previously way back in 2016 at the Furth Open, which is a clay-court tournament, where Maden had won against the Indian in straight sets.

Taking revenge for that victory and in an attempt to level matters up, Gunneswaran held his nerves and remained calm during crucial points of the match. Each set went into a nail-biting tie-breaker and Gunneswaran needs to be lauded for maintaining his composure during such moments and safeguarding his way towards victory. Into the Round of 16, Gunneswaran is all fired up and will now face South Korean tennis player, Kwon Soon-woo in his match tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Divij Sharan, who won the doubles title with Rohan Bopanna last year, crashed out with partner Artem Sitak of New Zealand in the first round as they lost to wildcard entrants Leander Paes and Australian partner Matthew Ebden. The scoreline read 2-6, 6(5)-7(7) in Paes' favour.