Bengaluru Open 2023: Local boy Prajwal Dev handed wildcard; Wimbledon champ Max Purcell to take part in doubles

Karnataka’s Prajwal Dev has been handed a wildcard entry in the upcoming Bengaluru Open whereas reigning Wimbledon champion Max Purcell will also play in doubles of the tournament.

Dev, who is Karnataka’s number one player, became the second Indian wild card entrant after Sumit Nagal was handed the same on Tuesday. The Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association will organize the tournament at the KSLTA Stadium.

Sunil Yajaman, Tournament Director and Joint Secretary of KSLTA wants to promote Indian talent in the competition and give them their deserved chances in the ATP Challenger event.

“It’s always great to see an Indian presence at the Bengaluru Open; this is our tournament and a platform for Indian players. We have always supported and promoted Indian talent through this event and Prajwal is an outstanding player. I’m equally delighted to see six Indian names in the doubles draw which also features the Wimbledon champion. This showcases the high quality of the tournament. Our doubles players have always produced memorable shows here and I’m confident that this trend will continue in the upcoming edition as well,” said Sunil Yajaman.

Meanwhile, Purcell with team up with Marc Polmans with a team ranking of 246. The in-form Australian pair recently won the Challenger title in Burnie, Australia this month and they will look to continue the good show at the Bengaluru Open.

Other Indian players to take part in the Bengaluru Open include Ramkumar Ramanathan, Purav Raja, Divij Sharan, Anirudh Chandrasekar, N Vijay Sundar Prashanth, and Arjun Kadhe.

The Qualifiers will be played on February 19 and 20 whereas the main draw begins on February 20.