Indian-origin American tennis player Nishesh Basavareddy produced the biggest victory of his young career after stunning World No. 8 Taylor Fritz in four sets on his Roland-Garros debut.
The 21-year-old wildcard defeated Fritz 7-6(5), 7-6(5), 6-7(9), 6-1 in the opening round to register his first career win over a Top 10 player and only his second Grand Slam main draw victory.
The upset immediately turned Basavareddy into one of the breakout stories of the French Open, especially among Indian tennis fans, given his family roots that trace back to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.
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Here are 10 interesting points about the rising star making headlines in Paris.
1. Basavareddy was born in the United States but traces his roots to Andhra Pradesh. The American player comes from a Telugu family with roots in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh.
Basavareddy was born in Newport Beach, California, to Sai Prasanna and Muralikrishna Basavareddy. His parents left Nellore, India, for the United States in 1999.
In his early years, he began taking tennis lessons and graduated from Carmel High School.
2. Basavareddy trained under high-profile players. In addition to receiving instruction from former doubles World No. 1 Rajeev Ram, who continues to serve as a mentor, Basavareddy trained under coach Bryan Smith.
For over ten years, Ram, a four-time Major doubles champion and former World No. 1, has been Basavareddy’s coach. Their common instructor, Smith, led a tennis camp where they first met.
Ram, 40, has won 31 titles in his career, making him one of the most successful doubles players of his generation.
3. Basavareddy’s knee surgery. After an outstanding junior career, Basavareddy rose to the third position in the world junior rankings.
His highs, unfortunately, were cut short by surgeries. n 2016 and 2018, Basavareddy had knee surgery, which caused a brief halt to his progress before he recovered his fitness and skill.
4. Basavareddy’s two-year Stanford run. Basavareddy played for Stanford University, one of the top collegiate tennis programs in the country, prior to going pro.
In the fall of 2022, Basavareddy enrolled at Stanford University. He was selected as an ITA All-American and won the ITA Fall National Championship as a freshman in the 2022–2023 season.
He was widely regarded as one of the top prospects in NCAA tennis before transitioning fully to the ATP Tour.
In December of last year, he turned pro instead of going to college. Toward the end of 2024, he saw great success on the Challenger circuit, winning two titles out of five finals since September.
5. Basavareddy’s first pro tour at the ATP Finals 2023. The teen player first played with the stars of the tennis world, Djokovic, Sinner, and Alcaraz in 2025, but that was not the first taste of the pro tour for Basavareddy.
He was in proximity to them at the ATP Finals 2023. The young American had the chance to participate as a sparring partner in the year-end championships.
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6. Ultimade idol for Basavareddy. Because of his knee injuries, Basavareddy’s ultimate idol is Juan Martin del Potro.
Del Potro made a name for himself despite suffering from multiple ailments from the beginning of his career. His physique eventually reached a breaking point as a result of his tenacity, which allowed him to make numerous victories.
7. The 2024 season. In addition to placing second in four other Challenger events, Basavareddy won Challenger titles at Puerto Vallarta and Tiburon.
After qualifying for the LTP Men’s Open final and winning his first Challenger title at Tiburon, where he upset fellow countryman Eliot Spizzirri in the final, he made it to the top 200 in September 2024.
Basavareddy qualified for the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, where he defeated Juncheng Shang of China to record his maiden ATP-level victory. He declared that he was ending his NCAA eligibility and becoming a professional after qualifying for the tournament.
8. Youngest American to reach a hard-court ATP semifinal. After defeating Borna Gojo and former top-10 player Lucas Pouille in qualification in 2025, Basavareddy advanced to the Brisbane International main event before falling to Gal Monfils in three sets.
He advanced to his first ATP semifinal a week later in Auckland by defeating Francisco Comesana, defending champion Alejandro Tabilo, and fellow countryman Alex Michelsen. He became the youngest American to advance to a hard-court ATP semifinal since Reilly Opelka in 2016.
9. An impressive Grand Slam debut. Using a wildcard admission, Basavareddy made his Grand Slam debut at the 2025 Australian Open, pushing Novak Djokovic in the first round. The young player of Indian descent was praised for his fearless performance against the 24-time Grand Slam champion after winning the opening set before falling in four sets.
“I was very impressed by him. I think the whole stadium was really,” Djokovic said. He continued, “Huge credit to him for stepping out in his debut in a Grand Slam, first time on a big court, playing the way he did play. So well done. I’m sure if he keeps going this way, he’s very young, we are going to see quite a bit of him in the future.”
10. Positioned at ATP Top 100. Basavareddy entered the ATP top 100 ahead of Wimbledon in June 2025, and he also competed in the US Open main event later that season.
Subsequently, he won the USTA’s Roland Garros Wild Card Challenge in 2026, earning him a wildcard into the French Open. His victory over Taylor Fritz in Paris is anticipated to accelerate his climb up the ATP Tour.
