Vincent ruggeri

Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association: Rising Indian player Karan Singh fought his heart out against second seed Dan Added as the home players endured a tough day in the opening round of the singles qualifiers at the Bangalore Open 2024 at the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) Stadium here on Sunday.

Wild card entrant 20-year-old Karan made life tough for his French rival, fighting tooth and nail in a gruelling contest before losing 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-7(9) in the opening round that lasted two hours and 46 minutes. Sasikumar Mukund also fell 4-6, 3-6 to fourth-seed Italian S Vincent Ruggeri.

Former national champion Siddarth Vishwakarma, who entered the field as an alternate, also battled hard against seventh seed Ukrainian Eric Vanshelboim but eventually lost 4-6, 4-6. The prestigious tournament is being organised by the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA). The final will be played on February 18.