India’s top-ranked singles player Prajnesh Gunneswaran had a memorable ATP Masters 1000 debut as he beat world No 69 Benoit Paire in straight sets to reach the second round of Indian Wells on Friday morning (IST).
The 29-year-old qualifier beat the former world No 13 Frenchman 7-6 (5), 6-4 in an hour and 30 minutes for only his second main draw win on the ATP Tour. He will next face World No. 18 Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Paire is among the most mercurial players on tour but has been a consistent feature in top-flight tennis for years now and was going to be a tough first Masters opponent for the Indian. But the left-hander was equal to the challenge, using his forehand to good effect.
The world No 97 won 72% of the points on first serve but it was his return game that made the difference. He saved five out of eight break points he faced, while converting four of the six break opportunities he got on Paire’s serve. This was an improvement over his Grand Slam debut, where he could not break the serve of Frances Taifoe when he got the chances at Australian Open.
Earlier, the Indian qualified for his first ever ATP Masters 1000 main draw with a battling 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win over Salvatore Caruso of Italy.
The Indian has had a remarkable year as he won his first ATP Challenger title in April, followed with a ATP main draw debut in June, where he beat Denis Shapovalov on grass and climbing up as Indian No 1 before breaking into the top 100 recently.
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