Manas Dhamne Storms into Quarterfinals at MahaOpen ATP Challenger 75
Pune, 25th February 2026: Local Boy and wildcard Manas Dhamne stormed into the Mens Singles quarterfinals at the PMRDA Powered Maha Open ATP Challenger 75 Men’s Tennis Championship organized by Maharashtra State Lawn tennis Association (MSLTA) in association with the Department of Sports and Youth Services Govt of Maharashtra, PCMC, PMC and PMDTA and sponsored by Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) and played at the Shiv Chhatrapati Kreeda Sankul, Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium
Unseeded players Duje Ajdukovic of Croatia, Alastair Gray of Great Britian , and sixth seeded Italian Federico Cina were the other players from the top half to make the last eight stage.
Indian wildcard Manas Dhamne thrilled the home crowd as he advanced after former top-50 player Ilya Ivashka retired while trailing 3-6. Dhamne looked confident and composed, striking cleanly from the backcourt before the Belarusian was forced to pull out due to injury. Manas will now take on Croatia’s Duje Ajdukovic in the quarterfinals on Friday
The unseeded Ajdokovic delivered a dominant all-round display to upset fifth seed Frederico Ferreira Silva of Portugal 6-2, 6-2. Ajdukovic controlled proceedings from the baseline, broke early in both sets and never allowed the Portuguese to settle into rhythm.
Britain’s Alastair Gray scripted one of the most thrilling wins of the tournament, fighting back from a set down to upset third seed Ilia Simakin 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5 in a 2 hour 50 minutes thriller. After dropping the opening set, Gray raised his intensity, edged a nail-biting second-set tie-break and held his nerve in a tense decider to seal the comeback victory.
Sixth seed Federico Cina of Italy continued his impressive run with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Japan’s Yuta Shimizu. Cina was sharp on serve and aggressive on return, dictating rallies and closing out the match in straight sets in just over an hour.
In the doubles first round, Top seeds Siddhant Banthia (India) and Alexander Donski (Bulgaria) overcame a stiff first-set challenge to beat Luca Castelnuovo (Switzerland) and Uisung Park (Korea) 7-6(5), 6-2. After clinching a tight tie-break, the top pair ran away with the second set.
Indian wildcards Saketh Myneni and Digvijaypratap Singh impressed with a solid 6-3, 6-3 victory over Japan’s Masamichi Imamura and Kokoro Isomura, displaying sharp net play and effective teamwork.
Jay Clarke (Great Britain) and Michael Geerts (Belgium) registered a clinical 6-3, 6-4 win over Japanese duo Takuya Kumasaka and Rio Noguchi.
Ryuki Matsuda (Japan) and Ilia Simakin battled past Aryan Lakshmanan (India) and Mitsuki Wei Kang Leong (Malaysia) 7-6(3), 7-5 in a closely contested encounter decided by crucial mini-breaks and late-set pressure points.
With the quarterfinal line-up taking shape, the stage is set for high-octane action as the battle for the ATP Challenger 75 title intensifies in Pune. The event will see India No1 Sumit Nagal in action on Thursday at 2pm.
Results : Main Draw: Second Round: Singles:
Duje Ajdukovic (Cro) bt [5] Frederico Ferreira Silva (Por) 6-2, 6-2;
Alastair Gray (Gbr) bt [3] Ilia Simakin 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5;
[6] Federico Cina (Ita) bt Yuta Shimizu (Jpn) 6-1, 6-4;
[Wc] Manas Dhamne (Ind) Bt Ilya Ivashka 6-3 Retd;
Doubles: First Round:
[1] Siddhant Banthia (Ind) / Alexander Donski (Bul) bt Luca Castelnuovo (Sui)/ Uisung Park (Kor) 7-6(5), 6-2;
[Wc] Saketh Myneni (Ind) / Digvijaypratap Singh (Ind) bt Masamichi Imamura (Jpn)/ Kokoro Isomura (Jpn) 6-3, 6-3;
Jay Clarke (Gbr)/Michael Geerts (Bel) bt Takuya Kumasaka (Jpn) / Rio Noguchi (Jpn) 6-3, 6-4;
Ryuki Matsuda (Jpn) / Ilia Simakin bt Aryan Lakshmanan(Ind)/Mitsuki Wei Kang Leong(Mas) 7-6(3), 7-5;
[4] Jisung Nam (Kor) / Patrik Niklas-Salminen (Fin) bt [Wc] Manas Dhamne (Ind) / Aditya Vishal Balsekar (Ind)6-2, 6-1
