Kolkata, March 15 (IANS) Karan Singh put up a resilient fight before going down to Australia’s Philip Sekulic in the final of the ITF Men’s World Tennis Tour M25 Kolkata tournament on Sunday.

In the singles final played at the Bengal Tennis Association stadium, Karan Singh, who represents the Roundglass Tennis Academy, faced a challenging opening set but bounced back strongly in the second. He pushed his Australian opponent to the limit, taking the second set to a tie-breaker before ultimately falling 1-6, 6-7.

Despite the loss in the title clash, Karan’s impressive run to the final of the $25,000 hard-court event highlights his growing physical and tactical maturity on the professional circuit.

En route to the final, the second-seeded Karan Singh displayed exceptional form. He opened his campaign with a hard-fought 7-6(5), 6-4 victory over compatriot Aditya Balsekar in the first round. In the second round, he confidently dispatched Russia’s Bekhan Atlangeriev 6-2, 7-6(4).

Karan then showed immense grit in the quarterfinals, overcoming eighth seed Yurii Dzhavakian of Ukraine in a grueling three-setter, bouncing back from a set down to win 6-7, 6-3, 7-5. He repeated this resilient performance in the semifinals, staging another impressive comeback to defeat fellow Indian Sidharth Rawat 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 and book his spot in the title clash.

The runner-up finish in Kolkata adds to Karan’s string of strong and consistent performances this year on the professional circuit. Earlier this season in January, the 22-year-old clinched the ITF M15 Hyderabad singles title—his first professional singles title on Indian soil by stunning top seed Max Houkes of the Netherlands in straight sets.

Furthermore, Karan’s growing stature has seen him consistently compete at higher-level ATP Challenger 100 and 75 events this year, making main draw appearances in Bengaluru, Chennai, Pune, and New Delhi.

His continuous growth, ability to challenge higher-ranked opponents, and dominant on-court presence recently earned him a well-deserved spot as a member of the Indian Davis Cup squad, cementing his position as one of the country’s most promising tennis stars.

Karan trains at the Roundglass Tennis Academy in Chandigarh, where he continues to hone his all-around game.

–IANS

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