Paving his path in top athletes, Prajnesh Gunneswaran wins maiden title on Tennis Challenger Circuit
New Delhi, April 30: Stealing the show, Indian athletes have proved that competing against them is not an easy task. Grabbing the maiden title, Prajnesh Gunneswaran clinched his first ever singles title on the ATP Challenger circuit when he downed Egypts Mohammed Safwat in the final of the Kunming Open in Anning.
This victory leads him to a push inside top-200. Winning the decisive fifth rubber of the recent China tie, Prajnesh beat the Egyptian 5-7 6-1 6-3 in one hour and 52 minutes. It was final at the Challenger level for southpaw Prajnesh, who had lost the Pune summit clash to Sadio Doumbia in October 2016.
Ranking at the 260th position, the 28 year old Chennai lad earned 125 points which are likely to help him jump more than 80 places when the new ranking chart. India will now have three players inside top-200 as Prajnesh is expected to be around 175. Yuki Bhambri leads the chart for the country at number 83 and is followed by Ramkumar Ramanathan (115).
Prajnesh, who had a bright career as a junior but lost many years after turning Pro due to stress fractures in his knees, said after winning the fifth rubber against Chinese prodigy Yibing Wu, he has got a better understanding of his game.
Studying Business Management from University of London, Gunneswaran will take a few weeks off to appear in his exams and will again start playing closer to the French Open.