Ramakumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni wins Men’s Doubles title at Chennai Open

Indian duo Ramakumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni have won the men’s doubles trophy at the 2024 edition of Chennai Open ATP Challengers. They defeated compatriots Niki Poonacha and Rithvik Bollipalli for the victory.

RAMANATHAN AND MYNENI FACED A GRUELLING CONTEST IN THE FINAL OF CHENNAI OPEN

The all-Indian final match began with a surprise, as the youthful duo of Poonacha and Bollipalli snatched the first set with a commanding 6-3 score. However, the experienced Myneni and Ramanathan soon bounced back , roaring on all fronts to score a dominant 6-3 victory in the second set. The deciding set saw Myneni and Ramanathan rise to the occasion, thwarting any potential upset and securing the title with a hard-fought 10-5 win in the tiebreaker. The final score stood at 3-6, 6-3, 10-5 in favour of the experienced duo.

In the semifinals of the tournament, Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar Ramanathan convincingly dispatched the Japanese pair of Kaito Uesugi and Toshihide Matsui in straight sets (6-3, 6-2), securing their place in the championship match. Meanwhile, their fellow countrymen Poonacha and Bollipalli faced a difficult challenge from the French duo of Ugo Blanchet and Dan Added, ultimately prevailing in a tightly contested match.

RESILIENT NAGAL REACHES MEN’S SINGLES FINAL

Chennai Open has been held since 2018, when the Indian duo of Sriram Balaji and Vishnu Vardhan won the Men’s Doubles title. Since then, this year’s event is the only edition to see an all-Indian team win the men’s doubles tournament. While Arjun Kadhe won it in 2023, his partner Jay Clarke represented the United Kingdom. This has also been the first time when both finalist teams have been all-Indian. None of the previous editions featured an Indian, let alone an all-Indian team as a men’s doubles runners-up.

In the Men’s Singles event, Sumit Nagal has braved shoulder pain to reach the finals. If the Indian wins the final, he will inch even closer to the much desired top-100.

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