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Dhakshineswar Suresh’s run at the Winston-Salem Open ended in the second round with a 7-6, 6-3 defeat to eighth seed Juan Manuel Cerundolo. The Indian had beaten Marcos Giron a day earlier for his first ATP Tour main-draw victory, having entered as a lucky loser. It remains his best result at the tournament.
Winston-Salem, United States: He took the first set to a tiebreak. That was as close as it got.
Suresh could not convert the opener against Cerundolo, and the Argentine pulled clear in the second for a 7-6, 6-3 win. It ends a week that had already delivered the Indian more than any previous appearance on the ATP Tour.
From Lucky Loser to the Second Round
Suresh, ranked 394th, arrived in the main draw only after losing to Abdallah Shelbayh in the final round of qualifying. The lucky loser slot that followed gave him a first-round meeting with Giron, the world No. 77, and he took it — winning 6-3, 7-5 in 67 minutes for his maiden ATP Tour main-draw victory.
That match was played on familiar ground. Suresh attended Wake Forest University, whose courts host this tournament, and he spoke afterwards about what it meant to win in front of a home crowd. He struck 17 aces, conceded no breaks and saved all four break points he faced.
ALSO READ: Suresh stuns former world No. 37 Giron for a maiden ATP Tour win
He is only the second Indian singles player to win a main-draw match at the Winston-Salem Open.
A Step Too Far
Cerundolo represented a considerable jump. The Argentine left-hander is ranked 51st and was seeded eighth here, arriving with a week’s rest behind him after his Cincinnati campaign ended against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The gap in tour-level experience showed. Cerundolo has an 11-15 record on hard courts at this level; Suresh, before this week, had played two such matches. Their first meeting stayed competitive through a set before the seed took control.
What He Takes Away
The 26-year-old moves on with the best result of his career at this event, having previously never gone beyond the first round here. His 2026 season now reads 19 wins and 10 defeats, with 17 of those wins on hard courts.
Earlier this year he beat both Guy den Ouden and Jesper de Jong to lead India to a 3-2 Davis Cup qualifying upset over the Netherlands. India face South Korea next in that competition.
Result: [8] J. M. Cerundolo (ARG) d. D. Suresh (IND) 7-6, 6-3
Round: Second round, Winston-Salem Open
Venue: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
