The Maha Open ATP Challenger 75 kicked off with fireworks in Pune as Ilya Ivashka pulled off the tournament’s biggest shocker by defeating top-seeded Federico Agustin Gomez 6-1, 1-6, 7-6(7). The Belarusian, once ranked in the top 50, outlasted the Argentine in a 2-hour-25-minute marathon at the Mahalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium on Monday.
A blistering start saw Ivashka bag the opener 6-1, but Gomez roared back to win the second set by the same margin. The third set tiebreaker became a test of nerves, with Ivashka holding firm to advance.
Elsewhere, Yuta Shimizu of Japan dispatched Lorenzo Carboni 6-4, 6-4, while Alastair Gray from Great Britain prevailed over Daniel Michalski 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in a tense encounter. Duje Ajdukovic cruised past Shin San-hui 6-2, 6-4.
Qualifying standouts shone brightly: Japan’s Takuya Kumasaka beat Indian Prjawal Dev 6-4, 6-2; Tung-Lin Wu topped Digvijay Pratap Singh 7-5, 6-4; Max Kasnikowski defeated Egor Agafonov 6-4, 6-4; Masamichi Imamura ousted David Jorda Sanchis 6-4, 6-3; Mitsuki Wei Kang Leong beat Tsung-Hao Huang 6-2, 6-3; and Yusuke Takahashi overcame Alexander Binda 6-4, 6-3.
Day one’s upsets and gritty battles signal an unpredictable tournament ahead. As contenders chase ranking points and glory at this ATP Challenger, expect elevated competition and edge-of-your-seat tennis in the days to come.