Ramkumar stops Thiem

Antalya (Turkey), June 27 

India’s top singles player Ramkumar Ramanathan recorded the biggest win of his nascent singles career as he stunned world No. 8 and top seed Dominic Thiem 6-3-6-2 in the pre-quarterfinals of the Antalya Open here today. World No. 222 Ramanathan brushed aside the Austrian in only 59 minutes to make it to the 

quarterfinals of the $439,000 tournament. His next opponent is veteran Cyprus star Marcos Baghdatis. 

“I worked really hard for this win,” Ramanathan said after his first victory over a top-10 player. “I thank the crowd for coming out and cheering. I like the grasscourts, they are fast. I took my chances and it worked out. I am having a great time here,” added the 22-year-old from Chennai, who sealed the win with an ace.

Qualifier Ramanathan served 10 aces and converted three break points, while Thiem, a semifinalist at this year’s French Open, only had one break chance. Ramanathan won 90 percent of the points on his first serve — 28 out of 31 — and 56 percent on his second serve.

“What an exciting win for @ramkumar1994... beating a top-10 player should give him a lot of self-belief on what he could be capable of,” India’s Davis Cup captain Mahesh Bhupathi posted on Twitter.

The tournament has seen a remarkable turnaround from Ramanathan after an unimpressive start to the season. — PTI