Top seed Cilic gets first round bye, 15-year-old Manas wildcard
Former US Open champion and current 17th-ranked Marin Cilic will challenge 17 top-100 players in the men’s singles event in the fifth leg of the Tata Open Maharashtra, starting with the qualifying rounds here on Saturday. Will be Top seeds Cilic, last-stage finalists Emil Roussoujours, Botik van de Zandschulp (ranked 35) and Sebastian Baez (ranked 43) will start their campaign in the second round as they received opening round byes.
In doubles, defending champions Rohan Bopanna and Ramkumar Ramanathan will face each other in the opening round. Bopanna will be partnering Jandschulp while Ramanathan will pair up with Mexico’s Miguel Angel Reyes Varela. The top seeded pair of Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury will face Baez and Lewis Davis Martinez. India’s rising star Manas Dhamane has been given a wildcard into the singles main draw of South Asia’s only ATP 250 tournament. Manas recently turned 15.
Pune-born youngster Manas recently became the Asian junior champion. He was one of the youngest players to win this title. He has also been selected in the ‘Grand Slam Player Grant’ program 2023. Sundar Iyer, Joint Secretary, All India Tennis Association (AITA) and Secretary, Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MLTA), said, “Manas Dhamane is growing fast. He has the potential to be the next Indian star and we are determined to provide a world-class platform for a player like him. In May, Manas played in the Challenger tournament in Italy. Apart from this, he participated in two ITF tournaments in Tunisia earlier this month. He will take on Michael Mamoh (ranked 113) of America in his opening round match on Monday.
