BENGALURU: Promising Karnataka players -- Rishi Reddy and SD Prajwal Dev -- were on Friday handed the last two wildcards in the singles main draw of the Bengaluru Open 1 ATP Challenger beginning here from Monday.
Rishi, who had won the Rs 1 lakh Karnataka Open a few months ago at the KSLTA courts, was more than thrilled to earn a coveted spot.
"I have been working hard at my game and coming from a good winning streak. I am confident of a good show on this platform," said the 23-year-old BBA student.
"I have seen many of the players on television but it will be a different experience to rub shoulders with some of the best players," added Rishi, whose last international outing was the ITF M15 Doha last December.
Prajwal, who hails from Mysore and trains at the Rohan Bopanna Tennis Academy, was equally pleased to get a wildcard.
"It is a great opportunity to play in such a tournament. I am extremely thankful to KSLTA for having given me a slot and I hope to repose their faith in my abilities," said Prajwal, who had won the ITF doubles title in Harare in 2019 pairing with Rishi.
"I have been working on my tennis and fitness. The competition will be really tough. I have to step up and play my best game," added the 25-year-old.
"Both Rishi and Prajwal are the best players in Karnataka ranking wise and we are happy to recognise their achievements with an opportunity for them to play at the Bengaluru Open. Hope they utilise the opportunity to the fullest," said tournament director Sunil Yajaman.
Meanwhile, wildcards were also handed out to Niki Poonacha, Karan Singh, Adil Kalyanpur and Arjun Kadhe for the qualifiers, which begin from Sunday.
The qualifying draw comprises 24 players with six making it to the main round.