NEW DELHI – In a stunning upset on the opening day of the ATP Delhi Open 2026, Indian wildcard M. Sureshkumar pulled off a remarkable victory. The 26-year-old, who earned a last-minute spot in the main draw qualifiers, defeated Italy’s fifth-seeded 19-year-old Lorenzo Carboni 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 at the DLTA Complex. After dropping the first set, Sureshkumar mounted a fierce comeback in the 1-hour-53-minute battle, showcasing resilience and skill to advance.
Fellow Indian Ramkumar Ramanathan, entering on a wildcard, dominated Chinese Taipei’s Tsung-Hao Huang 6-1, 6-3 in straight sets. Ramanathan’s aggressive play turned the match into a one-sided affair, underlining India’s strong start in the ATP Challenger 75 event.
This tournament offers significant rewards: singles and doubles champions earn 75 ranking points, with doubles runners-up getting 50 and singles runners-up 44. Prize money is equally enticing, with $17,000 for the singles winner and $9,600 for the runner-up.
Post-match, Sureshkumar reflected on his unexpected entry: ‘I wasn’t sure I’d even make it to Delhi. I got the nod at the eleventh hour and wasn’t fully prepared. Facing a talented young player, I just aimed to play good tennis – and it paid off.’
Other qualifying highlights included top seed Denis Yevseyev’s gritty three-set win over Mitsuki Wei Kang Liang (6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4). Tenth seed Eric Vanshelboim rallied from a set down to beat Siddharth Rawat 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. Second seed Ionis Zilas edged wildcard Ishak Iqbal 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-3, while sixth seed Luca Castellnuovo and seventh seed Alexander Binda cruised past Parth Agarwal and Udit Kamboj in straight sets.
Third seed Hyeon Chung demolished alternate Nitin Kumar Sinha 6-2, 6-1. Upsets featured Alexander Donski over 12th seed SD Prajwal Dev (6-3, 7-5) and alternate Uisung Park against ninth seed Mukund Shashikumar (6-4, 6-2). Winners advance to Monday’s final qualifying round for six main draw spots, promising more excitement in India’s premier clay-court challenger.