Pune: India’s singles campaign at the season-opening Maharashtra Open started on a disastrous note as top-ranked Prajnesh Gunneswaran lost his error-strewn first-round match 5-7, 3-6 to America’s 20-year-old Michael Mmoh on Monday. Meanwhile, the wildcard doubles pair of Arjun Kadhe and N Sriram Balaji stunned second seeds Phillip Oswald and Tim Puetz 7-6, 4-6, 10-8 in a thrilling match.
Prajnesh entrant blew hot-and-cold through the first set and could not recover from a crucial break at 5-5 in the first set. After a career-best season in 2018 where he won two Challengers and made his ATP World Tour debut, the world No 110 was expected to make a good run in Pune, where he had finished as a runner-up in the Challenger held last month. However, in his first match of the season, he chose to plat flatter against Mmoh, on courts that didn’t aid the style.
Mmoh started the match as the aggressor and Prajnesh was broken in the first game of the match. The Indian was shaky on serve giving away two break points and Mmoh then consolidated to love to race to a 2-0 lead.
Both competitors knew each other’s game well as they train at the same centre – the Alexander Waske Tennis University in Germany. But it was the 20-year-old American who took advantage of the early chances.
In a topsy-turvy first set, the fluctuating rhythm cost the Indian, even as his much younger opponent pumped on the gas. His racking up count of unforced errors added to the challenge.
After what seemed like the initial nerves passed on, the India number one looked more assured and took his first game with a superb passing winner followed by a forehand one.
While Mmoh leading 30-0 in the fourth game, Prajnesh showed what he is capable of with a moment of brilliance at the net. He parried three quick blows at the net to send back a winner at full speed to win the point.
He may have lost that game but the exchange seemed to give him a boost as he went on to win the next three games and put the first set back on serve.
The fifth game saw the Indian at his best in this match. When the last game went to deuce, he pulled back and sealed it with an ace.
Here, he got a precious break point with a stunning passing winner from the net which fell just out of his opponent’s reach. It was wily tennis and should have given the 29-year-old an advantage but it didn’t last long.
Back on serve, the Chennai southpaw was pushed in the crucial game but managed to consolidated with a peachy drop shot that settled at the net and gave him a 4-3 lead at the 30-minute mark. But the 20-year-old responded by holding to love to make it 4-4 and didn’t let up on intensity.
He clung on to his serve, hitting at everything he can to go 5-4 and Mmoh had to serve to stay in the set, which he did with a love hold.
Prajnesh gave a break point at 5-5 with a long shot and smashed the ball in the net in anger after the long rally. But Prajnesh gave up serve at the crucial juncture hitting another shot just wide, as Mmoh roared in celebration.
Serving for the first set, the American youngster continued his attacking manner and got triple set points with an ace, converting the very first one on an Prajnesh unforced error to take it 7-5 in 46 minutes.
The first break of the second set came in the third game as the Indian left-hander sent the ball into the net. This was after he gave away triple break points when Mmoh sent a cracking winner past him at the service line.
The 20-year-old then consolidated the break to take a crucial 3-1 lead in the second set. From then on, it looked tough climb for the Indian as Mmoh was unassailable at both baseline and net with his swift footwork.
Serving to stay in the match, Prajnesh committed a double fault and surrendered match point which Mmoh converted when, fittingly, when the Indian sent his forehand long.
Other results
Elsewhere, two of the eight seeds fell on the very first day. Belgium’s Steve Darcis, who was returning to tennis after missing the 2018 season with an elbow injury, knocked out sixth seed Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain 6-3, 6-4 while eighth seed Spaniard Pablo Andujar also suffered a first-round exit after going down to Evgeny Donskoy of Russia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (8-6).
Meanwhile, former top 10 player Ernests Gulbis of Latvia moved into the second round after a hard-fought 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over Pedro Sousa
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