Bengaluru, Feb 23 : India's rising star Manas Dhamne is set to make his main draw debut at the 2025 Bengaluru Open, carrying momentum from his recent ITF title win at the M15 Monastir in Tunisia.

The 17-year-old, who has been making waves on the circuit, is eager to take another step forward in his young career after receiving a wild card for the singles' main draw.

'I have been playing some good tennis and I am practising very well, importantly. I feel my chances are good; I feel confident. This tournament is a great experience for me. It will help me grow a lot, playing against good players. I love the stadium and the facilities, and I feel people here are really passionate about tennis, which is nice to see," said Manas.

With his first-ever Bengaluru Open main draw match ahead, Dhamne is focused on his performance rather than his opponent.

'It's my first main draw match, so I will try to put up a very good performance. I don't know yet how I am going to approach the match, because it doesn't matter who the opponent is. I just want to approach the match like how I play, it doesn't matter who the other guy is. I just want to try to enjoy it as well," he added.

Organized by the All-India Tennis Association (AITA) and the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA), the Bengaluru Open 2025 is an ATP Challenger 125 tournament and India's biggest tour-level tennis event. Played on hard courts, the tournament offers a prize pool of USD 200,000, with the champion earning 125 valuable ATP ranking points.

India made a strong start in the first round of Bengaluru Open 2025 qualifiers, with Davis Cup team members Karan Singh and Mukund Sasikumar registering impressive victories. Singh, who was part of India's 4-0 triumph over Togo in the Davis Cup World Group I Playoffs, showed signs of good form with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Ukraine's Yurii Dzhavakian, the 12th seed in qualifying. Meanwhile, Sasikumar battled past fellow Indian Rishi Reddy in a nearly two-hour encounter, emerging victorious 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Young Indian talent Aryan Shah also made headlines, pulling off a major upset against fifth seed Kris Van Wyk, securing a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory. However, it was a mixed day for India, as Siddharth Rawat fell to Czech Republic's Hynek Barton, who claimed a 6-4, 6-4 win. Delhi Open 2025 doubles finalist Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha also bowed out after a three-set loss to Petr Bar Biryukov.

Among the top-seeded qualifiers, Billy Harris, fresh off his runner-up finish at the Delhi Open 2025, defeated India's Siddharth Vishwakarma in straight sets. Second seed Ilia Simakin also advanced, beating Japan's Ryuki Matsuda in a commanding display.

Bengaluru Open 2025 Qualifier Day 1 results:

(IND) Karan Singh bt (UKR) Yurii Dzhavakian 7-5, 6-3

(JPN) Kokoro Isomura bt (IND) Adil Kalyanpur 7-6 (7-2), 6-0

(IND) Aryan Shah bt (RSA) Karl Van Wyk 6-4, 7-6(8-6)

(RUS) Petr Bar Biryukov bt (IND) Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(1)

(GBR) Billy Harris bt (IND) Siddhant Vishwakarma 6-2, 6-1

(CZE) Hynek Barton bt (IND) Sidharth Rawat 6-4, 6-4

(ESP) Nicolas Alvarez Varona bt (IND) Manish Sureshkumar 6-2, 6-2

(ITA) Jacopo Berrettini bt (IND) Karan Tyagi 6-3, 3-6, 6-2

(IND) Sasikumar Mukund bt (IND) Rishi Reddy 6-3, 4-6, 6-3

(JPN) Hiroki Moriya bt (UKR) Eric Vanshelboim 7-6(7-5), 6-4

(THA) Kasidit Samrej bt (MAS) Mitsuki Wei Kang Leong 6-4, 7-6(5)

(RUS) Ilia Simakin bt (JPN) Ryuki Matsuda 7-6(8), 6-4

/IANS