Dhakshineswar Suresh aces first test: Big-serving Indian puts out higher-ranked Ajdukovic at Bengaluru Open

BENGALURU: Dhakshineswar Suresh's forte is his booming serve. An undergraduate student at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, United States, the 25-year-old Indian oils his service motion daily, sending down 50-100 thunderbolts during training sessions.

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It is that discipline that helped this lanky 6 ft 5’ player from Tamil Nadu to develop his serve into the weapon it is today. His serve was on display on the second day of the Bengaluru Open at the SM Krishna tennis stadium on Tuesday. Suresh, ranked 521 on the Tour, fired 20 aces against Duje Ajdukovic (329) of Croatia to score a 6-4, 6-4 win and move into the second round of the ATP 125 Challenger. "It was a good day and my serve doesn’t get any better than that," said Suresh, who will meet 19-year-old Frenchman Felix Balshaw on Wednesday.




He could potentially run into India No.1 Sumit Nagal in the quarterfinals. "The serve is one of the biggest aspects of my game. I need to keep my shoulder healthy too, because it is a lot of serves every day."

The Croat, who was broken in the first game of the match, had no answers to the Indian’s firepower in a contest that was without long rallies. Suresh's first serve dominated proceedings in the hour-long contest. Of the 38 first serve points, he won 34. It was a service masterclass from Suresh, who sent down three straight aces in the sixth game.

The Indian’s return, however, needs some work. Ajdukovic piled on the pressure from the back of the court, but Suresh’s serve held firm. Once Ajdukovic's serve was broken in the fifth game of the second set, Suresh all but had the match in the bag. In the tenth game when Suresh fired two aces, Ajdukovic wore a dismal smile and applauded his opponent’s efforts.

Suresh admitted his time in the World Tennis League (WTL) here last month helped him prepare better for his maiden Bengaluru Open Challenger. "I was here for the WTL so I knew the conditions and how to play. That played a big role in my win today. I love playing in Bengaluru as it is high-altitude and the ball pops off the string. So it gives me an advantage during my service games," Suresh said.

KARAN, ARYAN EXIT

The day belonged to the big serving men in the singles contest with the other two Indians in action -- Karan Singh (466) and Aryan Shah (398) – finishing on the receiving end. Karan was outplayed by the 6'5'' Croat Borna Gojo (293), who hit 13 aces to claim a 6-2, 6-4 win in one hour and four-minutes. Likewise Aryan faltered against the 6'6'' Kazakh player Beibit Zhukayev (277), who sent down 11 aces to score a 6-1, 6-2 victory in one hour and 17 minutes.


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