Sasikumar Mukund overcame an emotional rollercoaster to record a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Blaz Kavcic in the first round of the $1,62,000 Bengaluru Open ATP Tennis Challenger at KSLTA Stadium here on Monday.
Mukund struggled to keep his mind in check in the early stage of the match, and lost the first set in quick time. It looked like Mukund was set to throw in the towel, until he began to relax and find his groove.
“Going into the match today, my head was all over the place. I was feeling disastrous. After losing the first set, I thought I would lose the match. I was getting ready to attend the press conference. Honestly speaking, I don’t deserve the win. This feels like a gift,” Mukund, the World No. 289, said.
“When you are playing at home, you get a huge high. It’s like drugs getting into the body. And when the high goes down, you feel real low. The same thing happened in the Davis Cup last year too. The national anthem played and my adrenaline shot up. And then for the next three days, I couldn’t do anything,” the 23-year-old said
Mukund hopes to get his "head in the right place” to tackle the challenges ahead in this tournament.
Fellow Indian Saketh Myneni had an easier time of it, cruising past Russian Aslan Karatsev 6-3. 6-3. Myneni was happy with the result, as he is easing his way back from injury concerns. The 32-year-old was not in peak physical condition - laboured in his movement on the court - but it was enough to get the job done on the day.
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