Bengaluru: Several Indian players have taken the US collegiate tennis route before turning professional. Somdev Devvarman and Dhakshineswar Suresh made good use of those opportunities to launch their careers. Now, Bengaluru’s Kriish Tyagi, a freshman at Texas A&M University, is hoping to use the same pathway as a stepping stone to a brighter future.The 19-year-old, who is majoring in business and finance, has been in the US since Sept. Currently on his summer break, Tyagi is back at the familiar surroundings of the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium. A wildcard entrant at the Karnataka Open ATP Challenger, the tournament marks his first Tour-level competition of the year, and there is a noticeable difference in his demeanour. His trademark wavy long hair has been trimmed, and there is a new sense of confidence in his overall game.Ranked 1322 on the ATP circuit, Tyagi, who started playing tennis at the age of 10, grabbed attention with wins over higher-ranked Japanese players Taiyo Yamanaka (749) and Yuta Kawahashi (637) in the first two rounds.On Thursday he came up with the biggest win of his career. He edged past Britain’s second seed Hamish Stewart (328) 7-6 (7), 5-7, 6-4 to move into his maiden semifinal at a Challenger event.“College tennis has helped me a lot since last year because I’m always playing with ATP-ranked players. I get to learn about their discipline, what they do on the court, and their intensity. Spending most of your time with players who want to go pro and have the same goals as you helps a lot,” said Tyagi, who enjoyed a career-high ranking of 33 on the ITF junior circuit last year.Off the court too, a lot has changed for Tyagi. He has become far more independent compared with his junior days, when he often travelled with his mother, Sapna, for tournaments.“Before I went to college, I was expecting it to be tough because I was going to be alone. I’m doing everything by myself, and it only makes you mentally stronger because no one’s going to help you there,” he said.Manish goes downMeanwhile, India’s Manish Sureshkumar’s (829) winning run came to an end as he lost to Ilya Ivashka. The Belarusian scored a 6-3, 6-3 win in 74 minutes. American top-seed Keegan Smith (289) moved into the semis as he beat Serbia’s Ognjen Milic 7-6 (5), 6-3.Results: Singles (QF): I Ivashka bt Manish Sureshkumar (Ind) 6-3, 6-3; 1-Keegan Smith (US) bt 5-Ognjen Milic (Srb) 7-6 (5), 6-3; 4-Philip Sekulic (Aus) bt 7-Maximus Jones (Tha) 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1; Kriish Tyagi (Ind) bt 2-Hamish Stewart (Gbr) 7-6 (7), 5-7, 6-4.
