Manish Sureshkumar starts title defence with win on opening day of National Tennis Championship

Second seed Karan Singh of Haryana also started with a straight sets victory.

Defending champion Manish Sureshkumar, hailing from Tamil Nadu, commenced the 28th National Tennis Championship 2023 at the DLTA Complex in New Delhi with a strong win in the men's singles category. The No. 4 seed initially faced a challenging test against Maan Kesharwani from Uttar Pradesh, but Sureshkumar's precision and remarkable forehand and backhand strokes allowed him to secure a 6-4, 6-4 victory and advance to the second round.

Sureshkumar, reflecting on his performance, stated, "Last year was a good experience as I went on to win the tournament, and I would like to continue the same. I played my first match today, and I was not feeling very sharp, but as I play more matches here, I will get into the groove, and hopefully, I will be able to repeat what I did last season."

The National Tennis Championship, organized by DCM Shriram Ltd. in collaboration with the All India Tennis Association and Delhi Lawn Tennis Association, has seen the participation of renowned Indian tennis stars like Rohan Bopanna, Somdev Devvarman, Yuki Bhambri, Sania Mirza, and Rutuja Bhosale in previous editions. It stands as India's most prominent domestic tennis tournament.

In other results, the No. 2 seed Karan Singh of Haryana started the tournament with a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 victory over Jagmeet Singh. The No. 7 seed Ishaque Eqbal (West Bengal) triumphed in a thrilling three-set match against Gujarat's Dhruv Hirpara, winning 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to secure a place in the second round.

In the women's singles category, Maharashtra's Vaishnavi Adkar, seeded fourth, began her campaign positively with a straight-sets victory over Sonal Patil, concluding at 6-3, 6-2. The No. 5 seed, Sharmada Balu, also made a triumphant return to the National Tennis Championship by defeating Telangana's Paavanii Paathak 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

Additionally, in the Under-18 Boys category, top seed Chandan Shivaraj (Karnataka) secured a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Tamil Nadu's Kavin Karthik K S in straight sets. In the Under-18 Girls category, Aditi Rawat of Haryana emerged victorious against Swasti Singh with a scoreline of 6-0, 7-5 in straight sets, advancing to the second round.

The 28th National Tennis Championship features an attractive prize pool exceeding INR 21.5 lakhs, along with a kit allowance for the junior categories.