Tata Open Maharashtra 2022: Indian Pairs Bopanna-Ramkumar and Myeni-Mukund Cruise into Round Two
New Delhi: Indian tennis pairs of Rohan Bopanna-Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni-Sasikumar Mukund kickstarted with victories in the Doubles Opening Round of the Tata Open Maharashtra 2022 at the Balewadi Stadium, Pune, on Wednesday, February 02, 2022.
While the second-seeded duo of Bopanna and Ramkumar secured a 6-3, 3-6 (10-7) win against American players, Jammie Cerretani and Nicholas Monroe, Myneni and Sasikumar registered a resounding 6-3, 6-4 win over compatriots Divij Sharan and Yuki Bhambri.
Bopanna-Ramkumar made a strong start with a 1-0 lead but failed to sustain as the American opponents equalised scores. The intense match went into a deuce, but the Indian duo made a comeback from the tie-breaker and tilted the result in their favour.
On the other hand, Myeni and Mukund received a main draw entry as an alternative pair after Denis Novak and Joao Sousa pulled out of the match due to a thigh injury. The pair comfortably won the first set. Though Divij and Bhambri regrouped quickly and took an early lead in the second half, Myeni and Mukund scored successive points and took a 5-4 lead. The pair bagged the match in two comfortable straight sets.
Meanwhile, Indian wildcard entry Arjun Kadhe will team up with Purav Raja to face compatriots N Sriram Balaji and Vishnu Vardhan in an all-India round of 16. The Indian star player, Yuki Bhambri, made a sensational start to his campaign as he defeated Josef Kovalik in an impressive come-from-behind win in the opening round on Monday.
Bhambri will try to secure a place in the singles quarter-finals as he prepares to take on 8th seed Stefano Travaglia in the second-round match on Thursday, February 03, 2022.
(Avya Mathur)
