Asian Games: Dhakshineswar Suresh, Sumit Nagal Advance to Tennis Singles Pre-Quarterfinals

Nagoya, Sep 29: Indian tennis players Dhakshineswar Suresh and Sumit Nagal progressed to the men's singles pre-quarterfinals at the Asian Games on Tuesday, registering victories in contrasting fashion as India continued its campaign on the tennis courts.

Dhakshineswar, one of India's emerging tennis players, began his singles campaign with a hard-fought victory over Indonesia's Gunawan Trismuwantara. Having received a bye in the opening round, the Indian defeated his Indonesian opponent 7-5, 7-6(2) in the second round to secure his place in the last 16.

The contest lasted one hour and 25 minutes and was considerably closer than the rankings suggested. Dhakshineswar entered the match ranked 364th in the world, while Trismuwantara was ranked outside the top 2,000. Despite the gap in rankings, the Indonesian put up a strong challenge, particularly in the opening set. Dhakshineswar, however, remained composed during the crucial moments and eventually wrapped up the match in straight sets.

The Indian will have little time to rest as he is also scheduled to compete in the men's doubles later in the day. He will partner experienced campaigner Yuki Bhambri in the doubles event.

Nagal, meanwhile, had a more unusual route to the pre-quarterfinals. The Indian defeated South Korea's Seongchan Hong 6-4, 6-0 in a rain-interrupted match that stretched across two days. The encounter lasted three hours and four minutes, with weather disruptions forcing the players to deal with changing conditions and a switch from outdoor to indoor courts.

The victory was particularly significant for Nagal after he had lost both his Davis Cup matches in Seoul. He will next face Uzbekistan's Sergey Fomin in the pre-quarterfinals.

India coach Ashutosh Singh acknowledged the challenging conditions surrounding Nagal's match, saying the players had to adjust to frequent interruptions and the changing environment. He added that Nagal took some time to settle before finding his rhythm and taking control of the contest.

In the other events, Anirudh Chandrasekar and N Sriram Balaji are scheduled to face Nepal's Abhishek Bastola and Pradip Khadka in the men's doubles. Balaji will also feature in the mixed doubles, partnering Ankita Raina against Hong Kong's Eudice Chong and Kairan Thompson.