Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Indian-origin American tennis player Nishesh Basavareddy marked a major milestone in his professional career by winning his first-ever Grand Slam main draw match at the Australian Open on January 20.
The 20-year-old secured a hard-fought victory over Australia’s Christopher O'Connell, prevailing 4–6, 7–6, 6–7, 6–2, 6–3 in a five-set encounter in the men’s singles first round at Melbourne Park.
Basavareddy’s breakthrough comes a year after he impressed on his Grand Slam debut by taking a set off Novak Djokovic in Melbourne. During the previous season, he also featured in the main draws of Wimbledon Championships and the US Open, though he exited in the opening round on both occasions.
Currently ranked 242 in the ATP standings, Basavareddy is set to face 15th seed Karen Khachanov in the second round of the tournament.
Born in Newport Beach in 2005, Basavareddy is the son of Indian parents Sai Prasanna and Muralikrishna Basavareddy, who hail from Nellore. The family relocated to the United States in 1999, initially settling in San Francisco before moving to Southern California.
Basavareddy made his ATP Tour debut in 2025 and had earlier achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 99, underlining his rapid rise in professional tennis.
