Nishesh Basavareddy is first ‘American’ after Jan-Michael Gambill to beat a top 10 player in first round of French Open after his win over Taylor Fritz on Sunday.
Updated: May 25, 2026 5:41 PM IST
It has been a long journey for Sai Prasanna and Muralikrishna Basavareddy from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh to the red clay of Roland Garros in Paris. Their 21-year-old son caused one of the biggest upsets in the opening round of French Open 2026 by stunning seventh-seed Taylor Fritz from the USA in 4 sets. But Nishesh Basavareddy is not really an ‘Indian’ apart from his Nellore root.
Nishesh was actually born at Newport Beach in California in 2005 to Sai Prasanna and Muralikrishna, who had moved from Nellore to the United States of America back in 1999. They subsequently moved from California and settled down in Indiana.
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French Open 2026 wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy, an American citizen like Fritz, beat world number nine 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1 in a gruelling match that lasted two hours and 45 minutes on Sunday night to reach the second round. He became the first American male player to beat a top-10 opponent at the Roland Garros since Jan-Michael Gambill eliminated then-World No. 8 Nicolas Kiefer from Germany in 2000.
Nishesh trained under coach Bryan Smith and also received guidance from former doubles World No. 1 Rajeev Ram of the US – who went one of his mentors. He enjoyed a successful start in his junior career, rising to No. 3 in the world junior rankings. In 2022, he won the Boys doubles title at the Junior US Open alongside compatriot Ozan Baris.
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The Indian-origin star was aggressive from the start, using plenty of drop shots and his backhand down the line. He also withstood 71 winners from Fritz, hitting 51 of his own to claim the first Top-10 victory of his career. Basavareddy had played just five tour-level matches this season when he walked on court against Fritz.
“I’m super happy to get through that after losing that third set … thank you all. All the players play their best in these tournaments and for me to do that today means the world,” Basavareddy said after his win.
“I knew I was playing at a high level. If I kept going, I’d have more chances, and I was able to come out strong in the beginning of the fourth set. That was the best set I think I’ve ever played,” he added.
HUGE win for Nishesh Basavareddy against Taylor Fritz #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Ze36UzxubO
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 24, 2026
Basavareddy suffered injury setbacks when he underwent knee surgeries in 2016 and 2018. The 2024 season was a breakthrough one in his professional career as he won Challenger titles in Puerto Vallarta and Tiburon while also finishing runner-up in four other Challenger events. He will face another young American Alex Michelsen in the second round.
