India’s Ramkumar Ramanathan fell short in his bid to enter the main draw of the Maha Open 2025, losing to Kimmer Coppejans in the second and final qualifying round at the Balewadi Stadium on Monday. Meanwhile, eighth seed Alexis Galarneau of Canada cruised past wildcard entrant Karan Singh in straight sets in the first round of the $160,000 ATP Challenger tournament.   

Ramkumar, who had upset top-seeded Elias Ymer of Sweden in the opening round of qualifiers, put up a tough fight against Coppejans. After losing the first set, the Indian clawed his way back by winning the second set via tiebreak. However, the Belgian proved too strong in the decider, blanking Ramkumar to secure his place in the main draw.  

For his efforts, Ramkumar earned two ATP points and $770, while his compatriot Karan Singh, despite exiting in the first round, collected $1,670 but failed to earn ATP points.   

In main draw action, Canada’s Alexis Galarneau, the eighth seed, made quick work of Karan Singh, winning 6-4, 6-1. The Indian wildcard struggled against the Canadian’s aggressive baseline game, managing to hold his own in the first set before fading away in the second.  

Defending champion Valentin Vacherot of Monaco kicked off his campaign with a hard-fought victory over fourth seed Elmer Moller of Denmark. Despite a slow start, Vacherot regained control to secure a three-set win, keeping his title defense alive.  

Indians in Action on Tuesday  

India’s Manas Dhamne and Aryan Shah will begin their campaigns on Tuesday evening, hoping to deliver better results for the home crowd.  

With Ramkumar and Karan Singh out, the focus now shifts to the remaining Indian contenders as they look to make an impact in the tournament.