Tennis News: Tata Open: Van Rijthoven starts strongly In Pune
On Tuesday, Tim van Rijthoven defeated Radu Albot 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the second round of the Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune, making him the third Dutchman to do so.
The TATA Open in puneIn his first match at tour level against Albot, the No. 111-ranked van Rijthoven secured the lone break of each set, completing an 86-minute triumph in India thanks to some strong serving.
The 25-year-old, who won his first ATP Tour championship on grass in June, hit 14 aces and fended off two break points to schedule his next match against Aslan Karatsev. Pablo Andujar, meanwhile, was defeated 6-1, 6-3 by eighth-seeded Karatsev.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We have our second three setter of the day 🎾<a href="https://twitter.com/filipkrajinovic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@filipkrajinovic</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelMmoh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MichaelMmoh</a> are lighting up Court 1 right now 👌<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TataOpenMaharashtra?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TataOpenMaharashtra</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AdvantagePune?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AdvantagePune</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tennis?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tennis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ATPTour?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ATPTour</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TOM2023?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TOM2023</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/atptour?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@atptour</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AITA__Tennis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AITA__Tennis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/msltatennis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@msltatennis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/IndTennisDaily?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IndTennisDaily</a> <a href="https://t.co/fKijRxPdW5">pic.twitter.com/fKijRxPdW5</a></p>— Tata Open Maharashtra (@MaharashtraOpen) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaharashtraOpen/status/1610640694271709184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Van Rijthoven will compete in the second round in Pune alongside countrymen Tallon Griekspoor and Botic van de Zandschulp. Van de Zandschulp is ranked second in the ATP 250 tournament, trailing only Marin Cilic.
Also on Tuesday, Italian Flavio Cobolli won his second tour-level match, defeating home wildcard Mukund Sasikumar 6-4, 7-5.
On Wednesday, Cobolli will face van de Zandschulp on centre court in an attempt to reach the third round of an ATP Tour tournament for the first time.
Ramkumar Ramanathan, a 28-year-old qualifier, was the final home hope in the singles draw in western India. However, after winning the opening set against Pedro Martinez, he could not finish the job.
The fourth-seeded Sebastian Baez will face World No. 62 Martinez in the second round after Martinez's 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 triumph. It will be a rematch of the Santiago final from 2022, when Martinez won his first ATP Tour title.
TATA Open: Manas Dhamne, 15, shines but loses in the first round of the Tata Open
On the first day of the ATP Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune, the 15-year-old Manas Dhamne was defeated by world No. 113 Michael Mmoh of the United States.
After a protracted rally, Dhamne won his first point with a line-kissing forehand down the line.
Dhamne was tied 2-2 with Mmoh 22 minutes into his ATP Tour debut.
"He played really good in the beginning. I wasn't expecting that level. He kind of caught me by surprise," said Mmoh.
In the 6-2, 6-4 loss, Dhamne demonstrated why he is regarded as a good Indian prospect.
The Under-12 winner of the renowned Eddie Herr International Championship in 2019 and the ITF Asia/Oceania junior champion from the previous year had only played in one ATP Challenger level match before this.
"I had no expectations because I have never played with any of these guys before," said Dhamne. "So, I had no idea how the match will go. I just wanted to go out and play as I do."
He battled Mmoh head-to-head for the first four games, especially from the baseline. In the fourth game, where he had a few break point chances, Dhamne added a drop shot and a sliced backhand cross-court winner to go along with a few other well-placed points.
But Dhamne was soon overcome by the physicality of the baseline struggles, as Mmoh easily won the first set and held a double break in the second. Most of Dhamne's errors came from the forehand and missed first serves became more frequent.
"As I went on court and played the first few points, the nervousness went away and I felt good," added Dhamne. "It was a really good experience. A lot of positives as well. I kept fighting till the end. We know what's to improve, and we're going to work on it from tomorrow."