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SportsPosted at: Mar 31 2025 8:30PM


Digvijay eyes comeback at SMK Memorial Open

Bengaluru, Mar 31 (UNI) The main draw of the SM Krishna Memorial Open is set to commence on Monday, ushering in a week of high-intensity tennis action at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium. The ITF Men’s M25 event, boasting a prize purse of USD 30,000, has drawn a strong lineup of players. The doubles final is scheduled for April 5, while the singles final will take place on April 6.
Among the key participants is India's Digvijay Pratap Singh, making a return to competitive tennis after an 18-month hiatus due to an illness. Speaking about his comeback, he said, "I’m making my comeback after a long setback with a kind of autoimmune disease. This is my fourth tournament after a one-and-a-half-year break, but I am feeling well, actually feeling the best I've felt in a while, especially at this place."
Bengaluru holds a special place for Digvijay, as he clinched his first Challenger title in the city. "I have a lot of memories. My first Challenger win was in Bengaluru, and I would always participate; I would not miss a single tournament here," he added. Praising the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA), the 24-year-old remarked, "For me, as a club, as a tournament, it's the best city to organise a tournament in India."
The tournament will witness intense competition, with 19-year-old Aryan Shah entering after a title-winning run at the ITF Men’s Tennis Tournament in Ahmedabad. Britain’s Jay Clarke, the runner-up from the same event, is also in the fray, setting the stage for a thrilling contest.
The Karnataka contingent includes Krish Tyagi, Prajwal Dev, Rishi Reddy, Adil Kalyanpur, and Suraj Prabodh. Other notable players to watch out for include Britain's Oliver Crawford, Australia’s Moerani Bouzige, Russia’s Bogdan Bobrov, Japan’s Ryotaro Taguchi, Karan Singh, and Dev Javia.
Digvijay, who is set to face Siddharth Rawat on Monday, acknowledged the strong competition. "I'm not concerned about someone specific who's going to give me a fight because everyone is good at this tournament. But definitely, Aryan is there from India, Karan Singh is there, so it's fun to watch these guys and see what they bring to the table. They even motivate you to play well," he stated.
The doubles action will see the top-seeded pair of Adil Kalyanpur and Kody Pearson (AUS) taking on Moerani Bouzige (AUS) and Ryuki Matsuda (JPN). Meanwhile, Karnataka duo Deepak Ananthramu and Preetam Ganesh will face off against Nick Chappell (USA) and Grigoriy Nomakin (KAZ).
In the qualifying rounds held on March 30 and 31, Mann Kesharwani, Abhinav Sanjeev Shanmugam, Kody Pearson (AUS), Nitin Kumar Sinha, Kabir Hans, Nikita Ianin, Raghav Jaisinghani, and Karnataka’s Suraj Prabodh secured their berths in the main draw.
The prestigious tournament is a joint initiative of KSLTA and the Karnataka State Government, conceptualized as a tribute to former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna. A passionate tennis enthusiast, Krishna spearheaded KSLTA as its president from 1999 to 2020 and served as the Life President of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) from 2015 to 2023. Earlier this week, the facility was renamed as the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium in recognition of his contributions to the sport.
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Tags: #Digvijay eyes comeback at SMK Memorial Open
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