Prabodh rallies to beat Balsekar at DLTA Complex in Fenesta Open
Suraj Prabodh rallied from a set down to beat second seed Aditya Balsekar 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) at the DLTA Complex in the 31st Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship on Tuesday, October 6, 2026.
The 31-year-old Prabodh recovered after dropping the opening set by adopting a more aggressive approach, a tactic he said paid off. "Everybody knows he is a great player," Prabodh told the media after his win. "I was just trying to hang in there and especially after the first set, I thought because he was too consistent and he was just everywhere. I thought I should just try to be a little more aggressive and get into the points or start the points a little more aggressively. Somehow I got through it and it was well planned and the execution was also perhaps better."
There were further shocks in the men's singles draw as fifth seed Oges Jaya was eliminated in the first round, losing 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 to big-serving Raghav Jaisinghani. Fourth seed Udit Kamboj avoided an upset with a straight-sets 6-1, 7-5 victory over rising youngster Aditya Mor.
In the women's singles, fifth seed Aditi Rawat, seventh seed Laxmi Siri Dandu and eighth seed Sohini Mohanty all recorded wins. Rawat prevailed 6-3, 7-5 against L Arunkumar and described her focus in the closing stages: “In the last game, honestly, I was just focusing on myself,” she said. “I was trying to just go for my shots. I wasn't really concerned about the scoreboard or the score. I just tried to give my best in the match.”
The doubles event began with top seeds Manish Sureshkumar and Nitin Sinha defeating Raghav Jaisinghani and Lakshit Sood 7-5, 6-2. After the match Sureshkumar said, “It was a pretty good match,” adding, "I think there are a lot of good points. Hopefully our combination works going forward and let's see how it goes.” Sinha credited his partner: “He covered everything and it's always fun playing with him and we are looking forward to the next rounds.” An upset in the men's doubles saw Aryan Chauhan and Karan Singh eliminate second seeds Madhwin Kamath and Rohan Mehra 6-3, 3-6, 10-7.
In the boys' U-18 competition, top seed Praneel Sharma beat Sarthak Gaikwad 6-0, 6-3 to reach the round of 16. Third seed Harsh Malik was upset in the second round, while fourth seed Om Patel and fifth seed Aditya Mor also advanced to the last 16. In the girls' U-18 draw, top seed S Bhuvaneswaran and third seed Shreeniti Chowdhury recorded comfortable wins to reach the third round.
The doubles top seeds Manish Sureshkumar and Nitin Sinha have advanced to the quarterfinals of the Fenesta Open following their 7-5, 6-2 victory.