NEW DELHI – M. Sureshkumar’s improbable journey lit up the ATP Delhi Open 2026 qualifiers. The 26-year-old Indian, slotted in at the wire, toppled fifth-seeded Italian teen Lorenzo Carboni 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in a gripping first-round clash at DLTA Complex. His second-half surge clinched the 113-minute epic.
Ramkumar Ramanathan, another wildcard hero, overwhelmed Tsung-Hao Huang 6-1, 6-3 with clinical aggression. Stakes are high in this ATP Challenger 75: 75 points apiece for singles/doubles champs, plus $17,000 singles top prize and $4,980 doubles winners’ share.
Reflecting, Sureshkumar said, ‘Last-minute confirmation left me half-ready. No big hopes against such a promising opponent – I simply committed to my best shots.’
Further action: No. 1 seed Denis Yevseyev edged Mitsuki Wei Kang Liang in three (6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4). Eric Vanshelboim (10) flipped a 5-7 start into 6-2, 6-2 vs. Siddharth Rawat. Ionis Zilas (2) prevailed 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-3 against Ishak Iqbal. Routine wins for Luca Castellnuovo (6) over Parth Agarwal and Alexander Binda (7) past Udit Kamboj.
Third seed Hyeon Chung demolished Nitin Kumar Sinha 6-2, 6-1. Shakers: Alexander Donski ousted No. 12 SD Prajwal Dev 6-3, 7-5; Uisung Park upset No. 9 Mukund Shashikumar 6-4, 6-2. Survivors head to Monday’s showdown for main draw entry, as the tournament gains momentum.