The Tata Maharashtra Open is set to get underway this week with Marin Cilic heading a field of 28 players vying to start their 2018 ATP World Tour seasons off with a bang. Leading the charge for the first time in the West Indian metropolis of Pune, is World No. 6 and 2014 US Open champion Cilic. With nothing to defend in the opening week of 2018, Cilic will look to add on precious ranking points to nudge himself closer to the career-high of No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Rankings that he achieved late last season courtesy of his run to the Wimbledon final. The 29-year-old Croat is a two-time champion at Tata Maharashtra Open in both 2009 and...
As players continue to rest and recharge following another exhilarating season, the focus is slowly shifting to 2018. The transition is underway, but there are still trophies to be won on the ATP Challenger Tour this week. The nation of India is making the most of its time in the spotlight. The country is rapidly rising in the pro tennis landscape and their national programme has been surging in the final weeks of the season. With a pair of Challengers gaining in popularity and the nation's ATP World Tour event finding a new home in January, enthusiasm for the game is growing. Last week, home hope Yuki Bhambri prevailed at the $50,000 event in Pune and the two-week swing concludes...
Sadio Doumbia hasn’t taken a traditional path to being a professional tennis player, but has quickly been making up for his late start to the ATP Challenger Tour. The 26-year-old from France won his first ATP Challenger Tour title this past Sunday at the $50,000 event in Pune, India. Ranked No. 359 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, he rallied from a set down to defeat eighth seed and local favourite Prajnesh Gunneswaran in the final. In addition to coming back from a set down in four of his five matches, Doumbia also captured his first victory over a Top 200 player in the Emirates ATP Rankings by defeating top seed Evgeny Donskoy of Russia in the quarter-finals. “It’s my first...
Indian players take up 18 of the 32 main draw spots at this week’s ATP Challenger Tour event in Pune, but the youngest player competing in drew plenty of headlines locally for his milestone win. Sixteen-year-old Dhruv Sunish made the most of his wild card with an opening-round victory over fellow Indian Siddharth Vishwakarma, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. The win gave Sunish, competing in only the fourth pro event of his career, his first ATP Challenger Tour win. The teenager showed plenty of fighting spirit in his second-round loss on Wednesday to top seed Evgeny Donskoy of Russia. Despite the loss, Sunish said he was grateful to see how he stacked up against an experienced player. “Playing against Donskoy was an...
After leading the way for tennis in India for more than 20 years, Leander Paes is now beginning to focus some of his energy on the rising stars of the sport in his country. The 43-year-old doubles specialist competed in a Challenger at home for the first time since 1997 at this week’s $50,000 event in Pune. Paes teamed up with fellow Indian Ramkumar Ramanathan in the doubles draw. Although he had the option to compete with a higher-ranked player, the former World No. 1 in doubles said it was important to help other Indian players competing in Challengers. "I could have brought any other regular partner with whom I play on the ATP World Tour, but to support Ram...
