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Just when we thought that it was all over for the Indian singles players, Prajnesh Gunneswaran has received entry into the main draw of the Australian Open 2020.
Gunneswaran, who lost his final qualifier round against Ernests Gulbis on Friday, had Lady Luck favoring him as he got the tag of 'lucky loser' after one of the qualified players dropped out due to injury.
India's top-ranked men's singles player was on the verge of sharing the same fate as countrymen Sumit Nagal and Ramkumar Ramanathan, who were sent packing from the tournament. But Gunneswaran put himself in better position by reaching the final round of qualifying, where he suffered a straight-sets 6-7(2), 2-6 defeat at the hands of Gulbis.
With one of the main draw players withdrawing from the tournament at the eleventh hour, it was Gunneswaran who received the fortune of gaining direct entry into the tournament, which is scheduled to begin from the 20th of January. Popularly known as the 'Happy Slam', the Australian Open has certainly brought happy tidings for Gunneswaran - who is now into his fifth consecutive Grand Slam main draw.
Gunneswaran slipped out of the Top 100 towards the latter half of 2019 owing to his father's ailing health and battle with cancer, and he is now ranked 122nd. The 30-year-old has been handed a reasonably good draw, with the challenge of Japan's Tatsuma Ito awaiting him in the first round.
Gunneswaran would fancy his chances against the 144th-ranked Ito. If he wins that match, then he will likely have the chance to meet reigning Australian Open champion and World No. 2 Novak Djokovic, which would be a must-watch encounter for all Indian fans.
Last year, Nagal took a set off 20-time Grand Slam Champion Roger Federer at the US Open. Gunneswaran would hope to emulate his compatriot's feat and give a good account of himself if he does meet Djokovic.
Gunneswaran has already been 'lucky' once; if that trend continues, he may be able to make his outing at the 2020 Australian Open a truly memorable one.
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