Dhakshineshwar Suresh secures first ATP Tour win at Winston-Salem Open

Dhakshineswar Suresh served a staggering 17 aces to pick up his first win on the ATP Tour, defeating World No. 77 Marcos Giron in straight sets at the Winston-Salem Open. Suresh, ranked 394th in the world, won 6-3, 7-5 in just over an hour.

The 26-year-old is the second Indian to win a main draw match at the ATP 250 level event after Prajnesh Gunneswaran in 2019. It is also the first time an Indian singles player has won a first round match at the ATP Tour level since Sumit Nagal beat Lukas Klein in July 2024.

Not new to the conditions and the courts, the 6-foot-5-inch Suresh plays his college tennis in the US for the Wake Forest University in North Carolina. He was stopped short in qualifying but found a lucky loser spot into the main draw for a second year running. Suresh, who had grabbed headlines during India's Davis Cup win against Netherlands earlier this year, broke Giron early and ran through the first set in 26 minutes.

The second set, however, proved more hard-fought. Both players held serve until the 11th game before Suresh found a crucial breakthrough. He closed the match out with a perfectly placed angled smash for his first win on the ATP Tour.

"First match of the day, in front of the home crowd and getting my first win on the ATP tour...it's a really special feeling. Last couple of matches have been really tough but I was lucky to get the lucky loser spot. I just came out here and had a little bit of fun," he said later.

"Definitely being at home helps because I am familiar with this place, the weather, the courts and everything. I was also able to use the crowd into the match. In the end I was able to compete a little harder," he continued. Next up for Suresh is Argentina's eighth seed Juan Manuel Cerundolo. "This is my first time going into the second round of an ATP tournament... going in there will be nerves. I need to just play the same way I played today," stated the Madurai-born.