15-year-old Manas Dhamne impresses in first round Tata Open loss
A sign of nerves, more so if you’re 15, is often at the start of a tennis match—a double fault here, a feeble error there. Manas Dhamne had none of it. His opening point ended with a line-kissing forehand down the line winner after a long rally. A no-fuss service hold to 15 ensued. Twenty-two minutes into his ATP Tour debut, the teen was locked 2-2 with world No. 113 Michael Mmoh.
“He played really good in the beginning. I wasn’t expecting that level—he kind of caught me by surprise,” the American said.
Dhamne couldn’t keep up that level for too long, but showed the stomach for a fight towards the end, demonstrating why he is rated as the brightest Indian prospect in the 6-2, 6-4 defeat at the ATP Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune on Monday.
Last year’s ITF Asia/Oceania junior champion and U-12 winner of the prestigious Eddie Herr International Championship in 2019 had competed in all of one ATP Challenger level match prior to this. Handed a wild card for the ATP 250 event at home, he didn't really look out of place.
“I had no expectations because I have never played with any of these guys before,” Dhamne said. “So, I had no idea how the match will go. I just wanted to go out and play as I do.”
For the first four games, he also went toe to toe with Mmoh, especially from the baseline. To go with a couple of neat winners, Dhamne also threw in a dropshot and a sliced backhand cross-court winner in the fourth game where he had a couple break chances.
The physicality of the baseline tussle, though, soon caught up with Dhamne. The errors—bulk of it from the forehand—and missed first serves showed up in numbers as Mmoh ran away with the first set and held a double break in the second. Down 5-2, Dhamne reeled off seven straight points to pull it back to 5-4, freeing up his game a bit as Mmoh’s became loose. The American tightened it just in time to halt the teen’s late defiance and give him a pat on the back at the net.
Strong at the baseline with a smooth double-handed backhand, Dhamne undoubtedly has aspects to develop; admittedly his serve. But the shots are all there, and, like he showed by not getting overawed on the big stage in his home city, the mind too.
“As I went on court and played the first few points, the nervousness went away and I felt good,” he said. “It was a really good experience. A lot of positives as well. I kept fighting till the end. We know what’s to improve, and we’re going to work on it from tomorrow.”
The “we” includes his coaching team at Piatti Tennis Centre in Bordighera, Italy, where Dhamne checked in in April 2022, a season in which he won an ITF junior and the Asia/Oceania title. He has been feeling the improvements already, especially with his fitness. As an example, Dhamne said he "couldn't stay there anymore" in the second set of his 6-3, 6-0 Challenger qualifying loss to 686th-ranked Davide Galoppini in Italy in May. “Today till the second set I had the energy, and if it by chance went to the third, I was still up for it," he added. "That shows how much I’ve grown in the last 6-7 months.”
Nagal exits
There was fight from the other Indian wild card in first-round action as well before Sumit Nagal lost 4-6, 6-4, 4-6 to sixth seed Filip Krajinovic. Nagal, his rankings down to 503 after a hip surgery in late 2021, would rue the missed chances after squaring things up with the 54th-ranked Serb. The Indian had two opportunities to break in the second game of the third set, but fluffed them as Krajinovic held, got the break for 5-4 to get over the line.
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