Tennis Titans Set for Battle at 2025 Delhi Open

The 2025 Delhi Open doubles main draw welcomes second-seeded Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha and Courtney John Lock, aiming for another Challenger title. Indian duo Ramkumar Ramanathan and Karan Singh received a wild card, promising exciting matchups. In singles qualifying, top seed Couacaud faced a shocking exit.

The eagerly awaited 2025 Delhi Open has kicked off with Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha from India and Zimbabwe's Courtney John Lock entering the doubles main draw as the No. 2 seeds. The duo is vying to expand their Challenger title collection in the fifth edition of the ATP Challenger 75 event, hosted at the DLTA Complex from February 10-16. A total of 16 teams will contend for the trophy and a substantial 75 ATP points.

Poonacha, already a two-time Challenger doubles champion, pairs with Lock, who boasts a Challenger alongside 19 ITF titles shared with his brother, Benjamin. They face formidable competition led by top-seeded Australians Blake Ellis and Tristan Schoolkate, the former Australian Open boys' doubles winner. Enhancing the tournament with local talent, India's Ramkumar Ramanathan and Karan Singh have seized a wild card invitation. Ramanathan, coming off a Davis Cup victory, partners with Singh to maintain momentum. Notably, all-Indian pairs SD Prajwal Dev and Sai Karteek Reddy Ganta also enter as wild cards, alongside Siddhant Banthia and Parikshit Somani.

Highlighting the singles category, the earlier qualifying rounds resulted in dramatic upsets. Enzo Couacaud, the top seed, surprisingly bowed out to Andre Ilagan, while unseeded Hynek Barton toppled second seed Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg. Gueymard, nevertheless, enters the main draw as a lucky loser following Lloyd Harris' withdrawal. Adding to the surprises, Jacopo Berrettini couldn't advance, losing to Eric Vanshelboim. In the main draw, Michael Geerts opened with a dominant win over Zsombor Piros, while Karan Singh faced a tough first-round exit to Timofey Skatov. Tuesday promises more gripping matches as singles action persists and Gueymard Wayenburg takes on Mukund Sasikumar on Centre Court, meanwhile Ramkumar Ramanathan challenges Dabor Svrcina.