New Delhi, February 16 – India’s Karan Singh lost in a three-set match to seventh seed Daniel Michalski of Poland in the first round of the 2026 Delhi Open on Monday. The ATP Challenger 75 event, now in its sixth edition, is being held at the DLTA Complex from February 16 to 22, with 32 men's singles players and 16 doubles teams competing for the title.
Speaking about his win, Michalski said, "I was already close to losing the match. Then I managed to regain control, and I played much better tennis in the end. Tennis at the highest level is a sport where even a small difference can make a big difference."
In other first-round matches, fifth seed Oliver Crawford of Great Britain defeated Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic 7-6, 6-5, while Belgium's Michael Geerts defeated Lithuania's Edas Butvilas 6-3, 7-5.
In the final round of qualifying on Monday, India's Manish Sureshkumar won against Korea's Uisung Park 6-3, 7-5 after being down 5-3 in the second set. The 26-year-old is the only Indian to have qualified for the main draw, and he was understandably pleased with his performance on a court that he described as one of his favorites.
"This is one of my favorite courts because I've played many matches here. Even the two Nationals I have won were on this court. So, this court is really special for me, and I was very happy with my performance today. I managed to stay in the match because I was down a break in the second set, but I ultimately prevailed," he said after his win.
Sureshkumar earned his spot in the qualifying draw at the last minute as an alternate, and he is certainly making the most of the opportunity. "Sometimes, unexpected things happen when you don't expect them, and I think this is one of those situations. I just want to continue performing well in the main draw. I don't feel any pressure because all the other players are very good. I'm the underdog, so I just want to keep performing well," he said.
The other Indian in the final round of qualifying – Ramkumar Ramanthan – lost to Korea’s Hyeon Chung, who has previously defeated Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the 2018 Australian Open. The 29-year-old is currently ranked No. 393 in the world after returning to the tour in late 2024 following persistent back injuries.
Top seed Denis Yevseyev of Kazakhstan, second seed Ioannis Xilas of Greece, fourth seed Maks Kasnikowski of Poland, and seventh seed Alexandr Binda of Italy also advanced to the final round of qualifying.
Somdev Devvarman is the only Indian singles champion in the tournament’s history, having won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. In the past, there have been all-Indian doubles champions twice, with Saketh Myneni/Sanam Singh and Yuki Bhambri/Mahesh Bhupathi winning the trophy in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
As part of the ATP Challenger 75 series, the tournament will award 75 ranking points to the singles and doubles champions, 50 points to the doubles runners-up, and 44 points to the singles runner-up. The singles champion will receive $17,000 in prize money, with the runner-up earning $9,600. The doubles champions will split $4,980, while the runners-up will split $2,880.
Day 2 results:
Men’s singles main draw - first round:
[5] Oliver Crawford (GBR) d. Duje Ajdukovic (CRO) 7-6 (3), 7-5
[7] Daniel Michalski (POL) d. [WC] Karan Singh (IND) 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3
Michael Geerts (BEL) d. Edas Butvilas (LTU) 6-3, 7-5
Men’s Singles qualifying - final round:
[1/Alt] Denis Yevseyev (KAZ) d. Alexander Donski (BUL) 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
[2] Ioannis Xilas (GRE) d. [10] Eric Vanshelboim (UKR) 6-3, 6-2
[3] Hyeon Chung (KOR) d. [WC] Ramkumar Ramanathan 6-2, 6-2
[4] Maks Kasnikowski (POL) d. [Alt] Grigoriy Lomakin (KAZ) 6-1, 6-2
[7] Alexandr Binda (ITA) d. [6] Luca Castelnuovo (SUI) walkover
[Alt] Manish Sureshkumar (IND) d. [Alt] Uisung Park (KOR) 6-3, 7-5
