Indian No. 1 Prajnesh Gunneswaran through to R2 of the ATP Forte Challenger in Nur-Sultan with a 62 63 win over D. Tashbulatov.
Prajnesh will face Brayden Schnur in R2 tomorrow at 11.00 am local time. Excerpts from his brief interview by the Kazakh Tennis Federation.
Thoughts on the match. What were the key stages of the match from your perspective?
The first 4 games of the match were really close. I had a couple of service games where I was down break points. I served well in those moments to come out of them. It got better after that. It was important for me to stay level and not lose serve.
I started to play better after that. I served well throughout the match. The arena is good for serving – no wind and so easier to have the toss under control, fast indoor surface.
Other than that, we had some long rallies today and I am happy that I was able to get on top of them. There were things that I would have liked to do better but I think I did enough to come out on top.
You last played in Astana back in 2015. How are you finding the courts and the facility?
The facility is pretty nice. There have been some changes as well from the last time I came here and I like them. I liked it the last time as well. The conditions are pretty good and I am happy to be here.
The weather is a bit of a challenge but the indoor heating is pretty good, so I am happy.
How do you think your game is shaping up? Do you think you can have a good run in these couple of weeks?
I hope so. I had a couple of quick exits in the last two weeks and its a switch here from the high altitude in South Africa. It was a difficult journey to come here and I came in only a day before. So I had only a day of practice.
I am happy to have come through this match and looking forward to playing better than this tomorrow.
Thoughts on your next opponent – Brayden Schnur.
I have played him a couple of times now. We both know each other’s game well now. He serves quite well and so he will like these indoor hard conditions. Its going to be important to see how well I serve and return.
Hopefully I can do those things well tomorrow and come out on top.
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