Former top 50 players Tomic, Pospisil qualify for main draw at PMRDA MahaOpen ATP Challenger 100 Men’s Tennis Championships

Pune, February 19, 2024: Indian wildcard entrants Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha and Mukund Sasikumar justified their wildcards in the main draw by getting off to a flying start at the PMRDA MahaOpen ATP Challenger 100 Men’s Championships, organised by Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) and supported by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).

Poonacha, ranked No 791 in the world, required two hours and 37 minutes to oust the 215th-ranked Goncalo Oliveira 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium and enter the second round.

457th ranked Mukund Sasikumar upset 204th ranked and eighth seed Federico Gaio of Italy 6-3, 6-2  to move into the round of 16. Mukund awaits the winner of the match between Coleman Wong and qualifier Felix Gill.

Better known for his doubles prowess on the tour, the 28-year-old Poonacha, who made his Davis Cup singles debut for India and helped the team score a 4-0 win over Pakistan earlier this month, continued his good season in singles, making it to the round of sixteen and awaits the winner of the match between top seed Sumit Nagal and Yu Hsiou Hsu.

Fifth seed Dalibor Svrcina also advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Australia’s Philip Sekulic.

Earlier in the day, the second and final round of qualifying matches got completed with six players punching their tickets into the 32-player main draw.

Former world No. 17 Bernard Tomic easily defeated Ukraine’s Vadym Ursu 6-2, 6-2, while former world No. 25 Vasek Pospisil hard to work hard for a 6-7, 7-6, 6-2 win in two hours and 52 minutes over Japan’s Kaichi Uchida.

However, former top 50 player and qualifying top seed Benjamin Bonzi, who reached the final of the ATP 250 event in Pune last year, was eliminated by Belgium’s Raphael Collignon 5-7, 7-6, 3-6 in the final round of qualifying.

Singles Main Draw First Round
• [5] Dalibor Svrcina (CZE) def. Philip Sekulic (AUS) 6-4, 6-3
• [WC] N. Kaliyanda Poonacha (IND) vs Goncaio Oliveira (POR) 6-3, 6-7(2), 7-6(3)
• Tristan Schoolkate (AUS) def. Geoffrey Blancaneaux (FRA) 7-6 (7), 6-3
• [WC] Mukund Sasikumar (IND) def [8] Federico Gaio (ITA) 6-3, 6-2