India’s newest tennis sensation Manas Dhamne has kicked off 2026 in a grand manner as he registered a stunning win over Croatia’s Matej Dodig in the first round of the Dafa News Bengaluru Open.
The 18-year-old, who is taking part in the competition this year, recorded the biggest win of his professional career. Manas, who is ranked 556 in the world, created a major upset by beating fifth-seeded Dodig, who ranks 236 in the world rankings.
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A total of three Indian stars, S D Prajwal Dev, Manas Dhamne, and D Suresh have been included in the tournament this year as wildcard entries.
Who is Manas Dhamne?
Dhamne was born on December 29, 2007 in Pune. He was initially trained by the wife of seven-time Indian national Tennis champion Gaurav Natekar, before he left India to train with Riccardo Piatti at the Piatti Tennis Centre in Bordighera, Italy.
Piatti is the former coach of Tennis legend Novak Djokovic and former world No.1 Jannik Sinner.
In January 2023, Dhamne made his ATP Tour debut at the 2023 Tata Open Maharashtra as a wildcard. In doing so, he became the first player born in 2007 to play a main draw match on the tour.
With a cracking start to the New Year at the Dafa News Bengaluru Open, Dhamne is expected to have a breakout year in 2026.
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When is Manas Dhamne playing next?
The Indian teenage sensation will be back in action in the second round of the Dafa News Bengaluru Open on Wednesday as he takes on Beibit Zhukayev.
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