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Youngster Manas Dhamne impressed on his ATP Tour debut despite going down against Michael Mmoh of the USA in the first leg of the Maharashtra Open 2023 on Monday. Dhamne forced former world No. 96 Mmoh to work hard for each and every point, playing in front of his home fans.
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Dhamne lost 2-6, 4-6 in the men's singles match played at Pune's Balewadi Sports Complex Stadium. The 15-year-old Dhamne fought off an American player for one hour and 28 minutes. Dhamne is nine years younger than Mmoh. Dhamne started the match confidently and won the first game by conceding just one point to Mmoh. After winning the first set 6-2, the American took a strong 5-1 lead in the next set as well. Dhamne, the reigning Asian junior champion, did not give up even after this and won a hard-fought three games to level the match 5-4. However, Mmoh, who has played in all four Grand Slam tournaments, finally used his experience to win the match.
"I was a bit nervous before the match but as I went onto the court and played a few points, I felt good. The first point was really important. It calmed me down and the nervousness went away." Dhamne said after the match.
Dhamne was recently given a wildcard entry into South Asia's only ATP 250 event for his impressive performances. "I had a chance, maybe the match could have been different. I am happy with the way I performed. It was a really good experience. I will try to improve when I play the next tournament." He added.
On the other hand, Ramkumar Ramanathan, who made the main draw through the qualifiers, and current India No. 1 Mukund Sasikumar will be in action in a singles competition on Tuesday. Indian tennis players Rohan Bopanna, Divij Sharan, Purav Raja, Yuki Bhambri, and Saketh Myneni will also be in doubles action. Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) conducted the ongoing edition of South Asia's only ATP 250 event Maharashtra Open 2023.