Synopsis
On February 22, 2023, top-seeded Indian duo Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth won the doubles title at the Maha Open ATP Challenger, defeating Australian pair Blake Bayldon and Matthew Christopher Romios. This victory marks their first title together and enhances their ATP rankings.Key Takeaways
- Jeevan and Prashanth secured their first doubles title together.
- Their victory came with a prize of INR 7 lakh and 100 ATP points.
- Brandon Holt reached the singles final after defeating Alexis Galarneau.
- Dalibor Svrcina reached his first Challenger final with a win over Khumoyun Sultanov.
- High temperatures affected the semifinal match, leading to a retirement.
Pune, Feb 22 (NationPress) The top-seeded duo of Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth from India triumphed with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-3, 10-0 against the second-seeded Australian pair of Blake Bayldon and Matthew Christopher Romios to claim the doubles title at the Maha Open ATP Challenger 100 Men’s Tennis Championship held at the Balewadi Sports Complex Tennis Stadium.
This victory marks the first title for the partnership of Jeevan and Prashanth, while it represents Prashanth’s third title in Pune. The win on Saturday awarded them prize money of INR 7 lakh and 100 ATP points, elevating Jeevan to 94 and Prashanth to 104 in the global rankings, respectively.
In the upcoming singles finals scheduled for Sunday, the sixth-seeded Brandon Holt from the USA will face off against the unseeded Dalibor Svrcina from the Czech Republic.
Earlier on Saturday, the sixth-seed American Brandon Holt, currently ranked 153 in the world, took an hour and thirty-four minutes to defeat the eighth-seed Alexis Galarneau from Canada with a score of 7-5, 6-4. Holt started strong, leading 5-0 in the first set, but the crafty Canadian Galarneau fought back to even the score at 5-5, though he was unable to clinch the set. This victory puts Brandon ahead 3-2 in their head-to-head encounters.
The 22-year-old Dalibor Svrcina, a regular on the Indian Futures circuit, reached his first Challenger final by overcoming the crowd favorite Khumoyun Sultanov from Uzbekistan, winning 6-7(8), 6-0, 3-1 (ret). The match was halted as Khumoyun retired due to breathlessness and fatigue caused by the heat.
Results:
Singles (semifinal): [6] Brandon Holt (USA) defeated [8] Alexis Galarneau (CAN) 7-5, 6-4; Dalibor Svrcina (CZE) defeated Khumoyun Sultanov (UZB) 6-7(8), 6-0, 3-1(Ret)
Doubles (final): [1] Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (IND)/Vijay Sundar Prashanth (IND) defeated [2] Blake Bayldon (AUS)/Matthew Christopher Romios (AUS) 3-6, 6-3, 10-0.
