The ATP Delhi Open 2026 kicked off with Indian flair as M. Sureshkumar, a 26-year-old late entrant, shocked fifth seed Lorenzo Carboni of Italy in the men’s singles qualifying first round. Played at the DLTA Complex, the match ended 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 after nearly two hours, with Sureshkumar reversing an early setback through sheer determination.
Ramkumar Ramanathan added to the home cheers, dismantling Tsung-Hao Huang 6-1, 6-3 with relentless pressure. As part of the ATP Challenger 75 series, the event dangles 75 ranking points for singles and doubles titles, alongside hefty purses: $17,000 for singles champ, $9,600 for runner-up, and doubles shares of $4,980/$2,880.
Sureshkumar, candid after his win, admitted, ‘My participation was touch-and-go until the last moment. Unprepared and up against a rising star, I had no expectations – just focused on quality tennis.’
Drama unfolded elsewhere: Denis Yevseyev labored to a 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4 triumph over Mitsuki Wei Kang Liang. Eric Vanshelboim overcame a set deficit against Siddharth Rawat (5-7, 6-2, 6-2). Ionis Zilas survived a tight opener to beat Ishak Iqbal 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-3. Straight-set victories went to Luca Castellnuovo over Parth Agarwal and Alexander Binda past Udit Kamboj.
Hyeon Chung impressed with a 6-2, 6-1 rout of Nitin Kumar Sinha. Notable shocks: Alexander Donski defeated SD Prajwal Dev 6-3, 7-5, and Uisung Park toppled Mukund Shashikumar 6-4, 6-2. These victors now eye main draw berths in tomorrow’s decider, as Delhi buzzes with tennis fever.
