Wild cards for teenager Dhamne, Ramkumar, Prajwal Dev in Bengaluru Open

India's 17-year-old prodigy Manas Dhamne and seasoned campaigners Ramkumar Ramanathan and SD Prajwal Dev have been handed wild card entries for the singles main draw of the Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger 125 tournament, starting here on February 24. Kriish Tyagi and Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha will compete in the qualifying rounds as wild cards, looking to secure a spot in the main draw. Dhamne, one of India's most promising young talents, has been active on the circuit for two years and recently captured his first significant title at the M15 Monastir in Tunisia.

The teenager has already etched his name in history, becoming the youngest player to win a first-round match at the junior Australian Open and the youngest to play a main draw ATP Tour match in 2023. Prajwal Dev and Ramanathan, meanwhile, bring decades of experience to the tournament.

"Manas Dhamne's rapid progress is exciting for Indian tennis, while Ramkumar and Prajwal Dev bring valuable experience to the field. We look forward to seeing how all our wild card entrants perform in the competition," tournament director Sunil Yajman said.

Meanwhile, the doubles event will feature 16 teams, split between 10 direct entries, four on-site acceptances, and two wild cards. India's Anirudh Chandrasekar and Chinese Taipei's Ray Ho enter as the highest-ranked duo in the main draw, while Blake Bayldon and Matthew Christopher Romios form the second-highest-ranked team.

Fresh from their Delhi Open final appearance, Niki Poonacha and Courtney John Lock are also expected to contend strongly. Among other notable doubles entries, top singles seed Vit Kopriva will partner Marek Gengel in doubles, while former world No. 17 Bernard Tomic teams up with Colombia's Nicolás Mejía. India's Siddhant Banthia and Parikshit Somani are also among the direct entrants, strengthening home representation. PTI