Maiden title win for Prajnesh on Challenger circuit

New Delhi, Prajnesh Gunneswaran clinched his first ever singles title on the ATP Challenger circuit when he downed Egypt’s Mohammed Safwat in the final of the Kunming Open in Anning, China, a victory which is set to push him into the ATP top-200.
Gunneswaran, who had won the decisive fifth rubber of the recent India-China Davis Cup tie, beat the Egyptian 5-7 6-3 6-1 in one hour and 52 minutes. It was the second final at the Challenger level for southpaw Gunneswaran, who had lost the Pune summit clash to Sadio Doumbia in October 2016.
The 28-year-old from Chennai, ranked 260, pocketed $21,600 and earned 125 points which are likely to help him jump more than 80 places when the new rankings chart is issued on Monday.
India will now have three players in the ATP top-200 as Gunneswaran is expected to be ranked around 175. Yuki Bhambri leads the chart for the country at No. 83 and is followed by Ramkumar Ramanathan (No. 115).
“This victory could not have come at a better time. It is for the first time I have earned so many points from a single event. These 125 points will help me a lot. I think it will help me secure the qualifiers of the Wimbedon and US Open,” Gunneswaran, who will appear in his final year exams (Business Administration) at the University of London, said from Anning.
“This win has taught me what it takes to be in top-100. I always knew what I need to do to move to the next level but now I know how to do it. I think I am good enough to be in top-100,” Gunneswaran added.
Gunneswaran had a bright career as a junior but lost many years after turning pro due to stress fractures in his knees. He said after winning the fifth rubber against Chinese prodigy Yibing Wu in the Davis Cup, he has got a better understanding of his game.
Gunneswaran will take a few weeks off to appear in his exams and will again start playing closer to the French Open.