Tennis
Bengaluru Open 2026: Dhakshineswar Suresh, Manas Dhamne reach quarters; Sumit Nagal exits
The 18-year-old Manas clinched his second straight win over a top-300-ranked player.
Dhakshineswar Suresh (Left) and Manas Dhamne progress to last 8 of 2026 Bengaluru Open. (Photo Credits: Bengaluru Open)
Indian tennis stars Dhakshineswar Suresh and Manas Dhamne continued their good run, advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Bengaluru Open on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old Manas clinched his second straight win over a top-300-ranked player, knocking out Kazakhstan's world no.277 Beibit Zhukayev in three sets, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.
Meanwhile, Dhakshineswar edged past 19-year-old Felix Balshaw of France in a three-set, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6, thrilling encounter that lasted for two hours and 4 minutes.
On the other hand, India's No. 1 Sumit Nagal faced a tough defeat in his prequarterfinal matchup against second-seeded Harold Mayot of France, 6-7, 6-1, 6-7.
After a tiring 3 hours and 11 minutes long match, Nagal bowed down to the Frenchman after a long tiebreaker (11-13) in the deciding set, failing to convert 7 match point opportunities.
Dhakshineswar triumphs in the battle of the serves
In a thrilling service masterclass showdown, both Dhakshineswar and Felix hammered 11 aces each, showcasing their quality while maintaining first-serve percentages above 70%.
The Indian started the match aggressively, winning his first break in the sixth game and then keeping this lead throughout, clinching the opening game comfortably.
But then, the youngster bounced back strongly and didn't give any chance to Dhakhineshwar on his return game, winning two consecutive breaks to dominate the second set, 6-1.
In the decider, both player showed their absolute best, having 6 aces each, and eventually the set went into a tiebreaker to decide the winner.
In the tiebreaks, the Indian had the final laugh, edging out Felix by 7-3 and reaching the quarterfinal of this ATP Challenger 125 event in front of a home crowd.
