4th seed Digvijay Pratap Singh (IND, 460) delivered a flawless serving clinic to defeat Japan’s Ryuki Matsuda (JPN, 655) 6-2, 6-2 in 1 hour and 30 minutes on Friday at the USD 30,000 MSLTA ITF Mens M25 Tennis Championship in Mumbai, while 3rd seed Karan Singh (IND, 437) and 22-year-old Chirag Duhan (IND, 937) progressed through all-Indian quarterfinals via retirements to send 3 Indians into Saturday’s singles semifinals.
Competing in humid conditions on the outdoor hard courts of the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) at Cooperage a day after 5 Indians and 1 Indian-origin contender reached the last 8, the hosts locked in a guaranteed Indian finalist for Sunday’s championship match. An all-Indian semifinal between Karan Singh and Chirag Duhan will open Saturday’s schedule, while Digvijay Pratap Singh will take on 2nd seed Garrett Johns (USA, 458) in the bottom half after Indian-origin 6th seed Samir Banerjee (USA, 650) was forced to retire after 2 hours and 34 minutes.
Digvijay Pratap Singh stays unbroken as Karan Singh and Duhan set up all-Indian semifinal
Through 3 rounds in Mumbai, 4th seed Digvijay Pratap Singh has dropped 0 sets and only 11 games total, holding 8 of 8 service games against Matsuda on Friday. In the top half of the draw, 3rd seed Karan Singh and giant-killer Chirag Duhan will clash for an all-Indian berth in Sunday’s USD 30,000 final.
Digvijay rolls past Matsuda 6-2, 6-2; injury retirements halt 3 quarterfinals in Mumbai heat
Leading the charge for the home contingent, 4th seed Digvijay Pratap Singh (IND, 460) controlled every phase of his 90-minute quarterfinal against Japan’s Ryuki Matsuda (JPN, 655). Singh held all 8 of his service games (100%), fended off all 3 break points he faced, and converted 4 of 5 break opportunities (80%) across the 47-minute opening set and 43-minute 2nd set, winning 59 of 96 total points (61.5%) to seal a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
In the 2 all-Indian quarterfinals in the top half of the draw, physical attrition cut short both contests in the opening set. 3rd seed Karan Singh (IND, 437) and 7th seed Sidharth Rawat (IND, 671) traded breaks once across 7 tightly contested games, with Singh edging total points 22-21 and leading 30-0 on serve at 3-4 when Rawat retired after 42 minutes on court.
Alongside him in the top quarter, Chirag Duhan (IND, 937), who had upset top seed Dhakshineswar Suresh in Thursday’s Round of 16, was locked at 2-2 (12-12 in total points) after 29 minutes when 16-year-old wild card Arnav Paparkar (IND, 1536) was forced to retire, sending Duhan into the last 4.
In the longest battle of the day, Indian-origin 6th seed Samir Banerjee (USA, 650), arriving on a 7-match winning streak after capturing last week’s M25 Solapur title, battled 2nd seed Garrett Johns (USA, 458) for 1 hour and 45 minutes in a marathon opening set, converting 3 of 6 break points before dropping the tiebreak 7-9. Trailing 1-3 in the 2nd set after 2 hours and 34 minutes in the Mumbai heat, Banerjee was forced to retire.
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| QF | [4] Digvijay Pratap Singh IND · 460 def. Ryuki Matsuda JPN · 655 | 6-2, 6-2 | Held 8 of 8 service games (100%) in 1 hour and 30 minutes |
| R16 | [4] Digvijay Pratap Singh IND · 460 def. Adhithya Ganesan USA · 886 | 6-4, 6-1 | Converted 4 of 7 break points (57.1%) in 1 hour and 16 minutes |
| R32 | [4] Digvijay Pratap Singh IND · 460 def. Maan Kesharwani IND · 1344 | 6-1, 6-2 | Converted 5 of 8 break points in 1 hour and 8 minutes |
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| QF | [3] Karan Singh IND · 437 def. [7] Sidharth Rawat IND · 671 | 3-4 ret. | Edged total points 22-21 across 42 minutes before Rawat retired |
| R16 | [3] Karan Singh IND · 437 def. [Q] Adil Kalyanpur IND · 1522 | 7-5, 6-3 | Held 10 of 11 service games (90.9%) in 1 hour and 38 minutes |
| R32 | [3] Karan Singh IND · 437 def. Nitin Kumar Sinha IND · 1085 | 6-4, 6-4 | Converted 4 of 7 break points in 1 hour and 34 minutes |
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| QF | Chirag Duhan IND · 937 def. [WC] Arnav Paparkar IND · 1536 | 2-2 ret. | Tied 12-12 in total points after 29 minutes when Paparkar retired |
| R16 | Chirag Duhan IND · 937 def. [1] Dhakshineswar Suresh IND · 421 | 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 | Saved 10 of 14 break points in 2 hours and 12 minutes |
| R32 | Chirag Duhan IND · 937 def. [Q] Aditya Vardhan Duddupudi IND · 1744 | 6-3, 6-2 | Held all 9 service games in 1 hour and 18 minutes |
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| QF | [2] Garrett Johns USA · 458 def. [6] Samir Banerjee USA · 650 | 7-6(7), 3-1 ret. | Banerjee converted 3 of 6 break points across 2 hours and 34 minutes |
| R16 | [6] Samir Banerjee USA · 650 def. [WC] Samarth Sahita IND · UNR | 6-3, 6-1 | Converted 4 of 5 break points (80%) in 1 hour and 16 minutes |
| R32 | [6] Samir Banerjee USA · 650 def. William Rejchtman Vinciguerra SWE · 1143 | 6-3, 6-4 | Converted 4 of 8 break points in 1 hour and 28 minutes |
Karan Singh faces Chirag Duhan; Digvijay Pratap Singh meets Garrett Johns
Saturday’s semifinal action on Court 1 at MSLTA Cooperage opens at 10:00 AM IST with the all-Indian showdown between 3rd seed Karan Singh (IND, 437) and 22-year-old Chirag Duhan (IND, 937), followed by 4th seed Digvijay Pratap Singh (IND, 460) taking on 2nd seed Garrett Johns (USA, 458) for a place in Sunday’s championship final.
| Round | Match | Court | Scheduled Start Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SF | Chirag Duhan IND · 937 vs [3] Karan Singh IND · 437 | Court 1 | 10:00 AM IST |
| SF | [4] Digvijay Pratap Singh IND · 460 vs [2] Garrett Johns USA · 458 | Court 1 | Followed By (~12:00 PM IST) |