Prajnesh Gunneswaran‘s winning streak at Indian Wells came to an end after he lost 3-6, 6-7 to world No. 89 Ivo Karlovic in the third round early on Tuesday.
The Indian qualifier fought hard before losing 3-6 6-7(4) to the tall Croat, who fired 16 aces in the one hour and 13-minute contest.
63 76 loss to Karlovic, the incredible #BNPPO19 of @PrajneshGP ends in the third round. It was a great run from the qualies to the main draw: “My goal for 2019 season is to reach the top-50”. See you in @MiamiOpen ! #lottosport #tennis pic.twitter.com/ID2m6UYOAF
— Lotto Sport (@lottosport) March 11, 2019
Prajnesh, ranked 97, said as he could not convert any of the two break chances, “It was very difficult to return his big serve. I had some chances, I did not take them and that’s pretty much what decided the match.”
Playing his first singles main draw at the Masters level, Prajnesh had earlier upset world No. 18 Nikoloz Basilashvili and France’s Benoit Paire at the tournament.
Prajnesh satisfied with his performance
He may be going home, but Gunneswaran certainly wowed us ?#BNPPO19 @PrajneshGP ?? pic.twitter.com/04ayFfWetL
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 11, 2019
“Overall, it was a very good run. I am confident I will be able to do this again. Obviously, time will tell. Over a period of time, I should be able to deliver such results consistently.
“I am not sure if it will always be at the Masters, or a 250 (tournament) or a Grand Slam. I hope it happens at the bigger events.”
“At the end of the day, If I am consistently competing against these players and finding success then I am on the right track,” said the Chennai player.
Tough loss in the second set tie breaker for Prajnesh Gunneswaran. Onto the Miami Masters qualifying next week!
? : Jangbir Bains ji pic.twitter.com/WnuakqYzS6
— Indian Tennis Daily (@IndiantennisFan) March 11, 2019
Meanwhile, India’s Rohan Bopanna and his partner Denis Shapovalov bowed out of the doubles after a 6-4 1-6 8-10 defeat against Novak Djokovic and Fabio Fognini in the second round.
An American of Indian origin and a young lawyer with enviable credentials, @therealanuj1 shares how Prajnesh got the Indian Community together in this delightful read! @ZENIADCUNHA https://t.co/oSnjEkGrXW via @scroll_in
— Indian Tennis Daily (@IndiantennisFan) March 12, 2019
Prajnesh jumping ATP rankings
Meet India’s No.1 in Tennis- @PrajneshGP Prajnesh Gunneswaran!
Also discover why his recent victories in Indian Wells is actually great for the Indian tennis on the whole.#PrajneshGunneshwaran #IndianWells #BNPParibasOpen #IndiasNo1 #Inforoads #EverythingIndiaandIndians pic.twitter.com/jUlendWzLC— Inforoads.com (@inforoads) March 12, 2019
Earlier in the year, Prajnesh played in the main draw of the Australian Open, becoming the fifth Indian since the turn of the century to qualify for the men’s singles main draw at a Grand Slam.
Last year, he had beaten then world No. 23 Denis Shapovalov at the Stuttgart ATP 250 event — the biggest win of his career before this Indian Wells performance.
World No. 97 Prajnesh is now likely to rise up to at least 80th in the ATP rankings.
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