Prajnesh Gunneswaran outclassed compatriot Saketh Myneni in straight sets to win the $ 1,50,000 Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger title here on Saturday.
In the all-Indian summit clash, Gunneswaran thrashed Myneni 6-2 6,2 under an hour to improve his ATP rankings from 144 to 110.
The Chennai lad did not allow Myneni to make a comeback in the entire match as he smashed heavy serves and forehands to neutralise his opponent.
Gunneswaran played with lot of confidence, unlike the last time he met Myneni in an ATP Challenger event.
"I knew it would be tough playing Prajnesh (Gunneswaran). Yes, I made far too many errors. Credit should go to Prajnesh, whom I found a tad confident in this match, compared to the last time I played where he was tentative," Myneni said in the post-match press conference.
More than anything else, Gunneswaran started off very strongly in both the sets which derailed the confidence of a tired looking Myneni.
"Saketh (Myneni) looked tired. Hence I said to myself that I should not give away and sustained pressure on him. From outside 6-2 6-2 wins looks easy, but it wasn't. The walkover in the quarterfinals also helped me save some energy coming into the finals," Prajnesh said.
Myneni committed far too many unforced errors that ruined his day.
"It is very tough to play against left-handed players as they have heavier spin in their shots. Also many right-handed players are not used to left-handed players," Myneni said.