Prajnesh enters Australian Open main draw, only 3rd Indian in 5 years to play Grand Slam

Outlining his growth as a player, a consistent Prajnesh Gunneswaran sealed his maiden appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam by qualifying for the Australian Open men's singles event here Friday.

The 29-year-old from Chennai came from behind to beat Japan's Yosuke Watanuki
"I stayed tough mentally and fought really hard. I did not really play too flat, I felt a lot of pressure from the beginning to the end. In between I played very defensive, attacked here and there. It was more a battle of nerves."
"It was very close, the key was that I stayed tough throughout and I put a lot on the opponent and I did everything possible to find a way to win."
"Let's see how it goes. It will be a tough match, I have to play well."