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Dakshineswar Suresh Serves His Way Into Bengaluru Open Round of 16

Dakshineswar Suresh began his Bengaluru Open campaign with a commanding 6-4, 6-4 win over Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic. His dominant first serve, which produced 20 aces, was the foundation of his control throughout the match. Suresh secured early breaks in both sets and maintained his composure to close out the victory in straight sets. In other matches, several international players advanced, while the Indian doubles pair of Saketh Myneni and Adil Kalyanpur also progressed.

Key Points: Dakshineswar Suresh Wins at Bengaluru Open 2026

  • Emphatic straight-sets victory
  • Served 20 aces in the match
  • Made early breaks in both sets
  • Showed composure to seal the win
2 min read

Dhakshineswar Suresh powers into the Round of 16 at Bengaluru Open

Indian tennis star Dakshineswar Suresh powers past Duje Ajdukovic 6-4, 6-4 to reach the Round of 16 at the Bengaluru Open 2026.

"My serve is definitely one of the biggest weapons... I'm happy that I could rely on it today. - Dakshineswar Suresh"

Bengaluru, January 6

Dakshineswar Suresh began his campaign at the Bengaluru Open 2026 in emphatic fashion on Tuesday, cruising past Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic 6-4, 6-4 to book his spot in the Round of 16.

The six-foot-six-inch-tall Indian was in complete control throughout the contest at the S M Krishna Tennis Stadium here, anchoring his performance around a dominant first serve that produced 20 aces, allowing him to dictate terms from the outset, as per a release.

Suresh, who made his Davis Cup debut for India last year, made an immediate impact by earning an early break of serve in the opening set, applying sustained pressure on Ajdukovic's delivery with deep returns. Backed by a reliable serve and clean ball-striking from the baseline, he comfortably consolidated the advantage to close out the set 6-4. The second set saw Ajdukovic tighten up on serve, but Suresh remained patient in the rallies and seized his opportunity in the fifth game, breaking through with a series of aggressive forehands. From there, he showed immense composure, holding serve with authority to seal a straight-sets victory.

"I really love the place and the conditions. Today, I just aimed to go in there and play my game style and not worry about it, control my control-ables. My serve is definitely one of the biggest weapons, I've been working on it a lot the past few years so, I'm happy that I could rely on it today. In the next match as well, I will try to do the same thing, control the control-ables and we will see what happens," Suresh commented after the match, as quoted from the release.

Meanwhile, Croatia's Borna Gojo and Kazakhstan's Beibit Zhukayev overcame Indian challenges in their respective matches, defeating Karan Singh 6-2, 6-4 and Aryan Shah 6-1, 6-2, respectively.

Germany's Cedrik-Marcel Stebe produced a strong comeback to overcome seventh seed Max Houkes of the Netherlands 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 and move into the Round of 16. Ukraine's Eric Vanshelboim, Malaysia's Mitsuki Wei Kang Leong and France's Felix Balshaw also progressed earlier in the day.

In the doubles, Indian duo Saketh Myneni and Adil Kalyanpur edged past South Africa's Lloyd Harris and India's Sumit Nagal in a tight contest, winning 7-6(3), 4-6, 13-11. Third seeds Arthur Reymond and Luca Sanchez of France, along with Colombia's Nicolas Barrientos and American Benjamin Kittay, also advanced to the doubles quarter-finals.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
So proud to see him win on home soil in Bengaluru! His composure was impressive, especially after getting the Davis Cup experience. A bit disappointing about Karan and Aryan's losses, but the focus is on Suresh now. On to the next round!
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Rohit P
Great win, but let's not get carried away. It was a good first round against a lower-ranked opponent. The real test will come in the later rounds. Hope he keeps this level up. The "control the control-ables" mindset is a good one.
S
Sarah B
Watching from the US! His height must be a huge advantage for that serve. 6'6" is massive for a tennis player. Interesting to see the mix of Indian and international players in Bengaluru. Good luck to him in the next match!
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Vikram M
Bas yaar, this is the kind of performance we need! Dominant from the start. Hope he can go deep in the tournament. Also, good to see Myneni and Kalyanpur winning a tight doubles match. Need to support our doubles teams more.
K
Kavya N
So happy for him! He seems very grounded and focused on his process. That's the key to long-term success. Wishing him all the best for the Round of 16. The entire stadium was behind you! 💪

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