Rising Indian Tennis player Dhakshineswar Suresh has created absolute history by becoming the first from the country to win a singles match in the tour-level ATP singles victory in 2026 at the Winston-Salem Open.
It is after beating Marcos Giron that Suresh etched history and it’s worth looking at his journey.
Who is Dhakshineswar Suresh?
Born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu on March 29, 2000, the 26-year-old is n player emerging from the American collegiate system in recent years. He achieved significant success with two Davis Cup singles victories against the Netherlands in Bengaluru in February. In 2026, he has been a prominent presence on the Challenger circuit, with his most notable performance being a semifinal appearance at Bloomfield Hills as a qualifier. This achievement earned him 10 ATP points for his efforts in July.
Although Suresh had emerged victorious in three Davis Cup singles matches before in 2025 and 2026, the victory against Marcos Giron remains his first at a tour level. Notably, Sumit Nagal was the last Indian singles player to win a main draw tour level match, accomplishing the feat in 2024 at Kitzbuhel in the month of July. For the unversed, Winston-Salem is a 250-level event and not a Challenger one. Last year, Suresh participated in the tournament, advancing through the qualifiers but ultimately losing in the first round. In 2026, he was defeated in the second round of the qualifiers but entered the main draw as a lucky loser. In the first round against Marcos Giron on Monday, Suresh leveraged his most formidable asset, his serve, to secure a victory over Giron, the World No. 77.
Suresh’s other achievements include becoming the first player since Leander Paes in 2004 to win three games in a single tie. He had beaten Jesper de Jong and Guy den Ouden for singles victory and emerged triumphant in the doubles rubber by teaming up with Yuki Bhambri.
Who will Dhakshineswar Suresh face next?
The 26-year-old’s next opponent is Argentina’s eighth seed Juan Manuel Cerundolo and will face him in the second round. But the youngster will reportedly not play a lot of tour-level matches, at least for the time being. Unfortunately, he wasn’t even eligible to gain a berth in US Open 2026,.