ITF Mysuru Open comes back after eight years, to start from March 27

The USD 25,000 event—hosted by the Karnataka Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA), also marks the return of ITF tennis to Mysuru after eight years. India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan emerged as the winner when Mysuru hosted an ITF tournament, an F6 Futures, last time in 2015.

“Mysuru has always been a premier centre for tennis in India and we are happy to bring a top-level ITF tennis tournament after eight years. I am certain that the event will go a long way in inspiring youth and furthering the development of tennis in the city as well as in Karnataka. We are confident of conducting a successful tournament here that will also be an enjoyable experience for the fans,” said Maheshwar Rao, Hon. Secretary of KSLTA. 

The 32-year-old Donskoy, who was once ranked 65 in the world, made the headlines in 2017 when he earned the biggest win of his career by beating tennis great Roger Federer in Dubai. The Russian also has wins over top tennis stars Daniil Medvedev and Canadian big-server Milos Raonic before they broke into the Top-10.

The tournament will also see other top international players including Vietnam’s Ly Hoang Nam, a World No. 245, and USA’s Oliver Crawford. 

“It is an honour to be associated with the tournament where a clutch of top tennis stars from India and other nations are participating. I take pride in welcoming Sporting Ambassadors from 15 countries to Mysuru. Mysuru has a strong history of tennis players with its local lad, Prahalad Srinath, going on to represent the country during the Davis Cup. I wish such kinds of events will attract more youth to take up sports and bring pride to the country.

"I am confident that Mysuru, a city of sports aficionados, will see more such events in the future which will firmly cement the status of the city as a premier sporting hub,” said Dr KV Rajendra, Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru and the chairman of the organising committee.

India No. 2 Mukund Sasikumar will lead the challenge for the hosts as Ramkumar, Sidharth Rawat, Digvijay Pratap Singh, Manish Sureshkumar, Niki Poonacha and Karan Singh will also be vying for the title.