Dhakshineswar Suresh is through to the second round of the Winston-Salem Open — and he got there by beating a man ranked 317 places above him. The Indian lucky loser knocked out American Marcos Giron 6-3, 7-5 in the Round of 64, registering his first-ever ATP Tour main draw win in the process.
How It Happened
Suresh, in the draw as a lucky loser after falling in the final round of qualifying, wasted little time asserting himself against the higher-ranked Giron. He closed out the first set 6-3, then had to work harder in the second, eventually breaking late to serve out the match 7-5. The Chennai-born 26-year-old backed up his aggressive game plan with big serving throughout, finishing with 17 aces on the day.
A Career-Best Scalp
The numbers make clear how significant this result is for Suresh:
- Career-best win by ranking of opponent — Giron, at world No. 83, is the highest-ranked player Suresh has beaten
- 2nd Top 100 win of his career
- First ATP Tour main draw win — his previous appearances at this level had come via doubles wildcards and qualifying runs
- 17 aces served across the two sets
Giron, for context, isn’t just a run-of-the-mill Top 100 name — the American touched a career-high ranking of No. 37 back in 2024, making this comfortably the biggest scalp of Suresh’s young career.
What’s Next
Suresh’s reward is a Round of 32 meeting with 8th seed Juan Manuel Cerúndolo (ATP 51; career-high 42) on Tuesday. The Argentine will start as the clear favourite, but Suresh arrives with nothing to lose and the form to back himself — exactly the mindset that took down Giron.
Follow Indian Tennis Daily for full coverage of DK Suresh and the rest of the Indian contingent through Winston-Salem qualifying week for the US Open.