In the world of tennis, upsets are not uncommon, but when they happen, they create waves. One such wave was created at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships when the duo of N Sriram Balaji and Andre Begemann (Balaji-Begemann) clinched a massive win over the reigning US Open champion, Rajeev Ram, and his partner, world no.4 Austin Krajicek.
Balaji-Begemann with a massive win
Balaji and Begemann, despite being underdogs, displayed exceptional skill and determination to defeat the top-seeded pairing of Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek in a thrilling three-setter (3-6, 7-6, 10-6) to qualify for the quarterfinals. The match was a rollercoaster ride, with the Indo-German pair losing the first set 3-6 but bouncing back to win the second set in a tiebreaker and eventually clinching the match in a super tie-breaker.
The victory was even more significant considering that Balaji and Begemann did not have a solid start in the match. Both players could not hold on to their final serving games of the first set and went down a double break to drop the set, 3-6. However, they did not let this early setback deter them. The second set was much closer as no one dropped any game throughout the set, and it went into a tiebreaker where the Indo-German pair won a mini-break on the set point to push the match into a super tie-breaker.
The super tie-breaker was going much closer till 6-6, but then Rajeev gave two mini-breaks on his serve and trailed 6-9. Then, Balaji, with three match points opportunity, converted the match in their favour on his serve. This victory not only marked a significant upset but also highlighted the tenacity and resilience of Balaji and Begemann.
The U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships boasted three Indian pairs in the doubles draw, and all of them got off to a winning start, thereby assuring an Indian team spot in the semis. The highlight of the action was Balaji and Begemann defeating the reigning Grand Slam Champions Rajeev Ram (US Open) and Austin Krajicek (French Open) in a super tie-break.
In the quarterfinals, Balaji and Begemann will be up against an all-Indian pair of Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Arjun Kadhe, who had a dominant 6-4, 6-2 first-round win over Marcus Daniell-Luis David Martínez. This assures us of an Indian presence in the semifinals, further highlighting the growing prowess of Indian tennis players on the global stage.
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