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Teen Sensation Manas Dhamne Stuns Fifth Seed in Bengaluru Open Upset

18-year-old Indian wildcard Manas Dhamne scored the biggest win of his career, upsetting fifth seed Matej Dodig in a three-set thriller on the opening day of the Bengaluru Open. India's top player Sumit Nagal also progressed comfortably, defeating compatriot SD Prajwal Dev. In other matches, France's Matteo Martineau came from behind to oust third seed Jay Clarke, while other seeded players like Harold Mayot advanced. The day also saw several players secure their main draw spots through the qualifying rounds.

Key Points: Manas Dhamne Upsets Matej Dodig at Bengaluru Open 2026

  • Manas Dhamne wins 7-5, 4-6, 6-1
  • Sumit Nagal advances with straight-sets win
  • Matteo Martineau mounts comeback
  • Key seeds progress to Round of 16
2 min read

Young gun Manas Dhamne stuns fifth seed Matej Dodig on opening day of 10th Bengaluru Open 2026

18-year-old Indian Manas Dhamne scores a major upset, defeating 5th seed Matej Dodig. Sumit Nagal also advances on opening day.

"produced a stunning upset on the opening day - Tournament Release"

Bengaluru, January 5

Manas Damne, the 18-year-old from Satara, produced a stunning upset on the opening day of the 10th Bengaluru Open 2026, defeating fifth seed Matej Dodig 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 to book his place in the Round of 16. Displaying remarkable composure and maturity, the teenager won 78% of points on his first serve and an impressive 75% of net points to seal the biggest scalp of his young career in terms of ranking, as per a release.

Dhamne applied early pressure on Dodig in the opening set and, despite resistance from the Croatian, closed it out 7-5. Dodig responded strongly in the second set, securing an early break and going on to level the match. However, the Indian teenager stayed calm and assertive in the decider, breaking Dodig's serve twice to establish a commanding lead. With well-placed shots and capitalising on some unforced errors from Dodig, Dhaamne wrapped up the deciding set convincingly.

Meanwhile, India No. 1 and former Bengaluru Open champion Sumit Nagal registered a straightforward victory over fellow Indian SD Prajwal Dev. After being broken early, Nagal regrouped quickly to claim a 6-3, 6-3 win and move into the Round of 16.

Elsewhere, France's Matteo Martineau mounted an impressive comeback to defeat third seed Jay Clarke 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. Second seed Harold Mayot, sixth seed Timofey Skatov and Dan Martin also progressed to the next round with wins on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Frenchmen Alexis Gautier and Felix Belshaw, Finland's Eero Vasa, Dutchman Niels Visker, Malaysian Mitsuki Wei Kang Leong, Tunisia's Aziz Ouakaa and Kazakhstan's Timofey Skatov secured their places in the main draw after navigating the final round of qualifiers.

The opening day of the main draw was set to conclude with fourth seed Lloyd Harris of South Africa taking on Czechia's Jonas Forejtek in the final match of the evening.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
So proud of our young players! Manas coming from Satara and making waves on the international stage is inspiring. Hope the AITA and sponsors give him and other youngsters consistent support. We need to build a strong bench behind Nagal.
R
Rohit P
Great start to the Bengaluru Open! But a small note - the article says "Dhaamne" in one para and "Dhamne" in others. Editors should be more careful with our players' names. Anyway, fantastic performance by the lad! 🎾
S
Sarah B
Attending the matches live here in Bengaluru. The energy was electric when Manas won that final set! The crowd really got behind him. It's wonderful to see a home tournament attracting such good international players and producing upsets.
V
Vikram M
His stats are impressive - 78% first serve points won! That's the mark of a confident player. If he can maintain this level, he'll climb the rankings fast. Also good to see Nagal get a comfortable win. Hope they don't meet too early in the draw.
K
Karthik V
This is why we need more ATP tournaments in India. Gives our youngsters a chance to play and beat higher-ranked players without the massive travel burden. Well done to the organizers and congratulations to Manas!

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