Tennis

Indian tennis star Ramkumar Ramanathan's impressive run at the $164,000 Challenger tournament in Hangzhou, China, came to an end in the pre-quarterfinals. The top-seeded Australian James Duckworth proved too strong for Ramanathan, defeating him in straight sets 6-4, 7-5.Ramanathan, ranked 225th in the world, had a promising start to the tournament, winning his first-round match in straight sets. However, he faced a stern test against Duckworth, who is ranked 82nd in the ATP rankings.In the first set, Ramanathan held his serve comfortably until the ninth game, when Duckworth broke his serve to take a 5-4 lead. The Australian then held his serve to clinch the set.The second set was a closely contested affair, with both players holding their serves until the 12th game. Duckworth once again broke Ramanathan's serve, this time to take the set 7-5 and secure his place in the quarterfinals.Despite the defeat, Ramanathan's performance in Hangzhou is a positive sign for his season. He has shown that he can compete with top-ranked players and is capable of making deep runs in Challenger tournaments.In other results from the tournament, Ugo Blanchet of France and Billy Harris of Great Britain advanced to the quarterfinals of the doubles competition with a 6-3, 7-6(6) victory over Rithvik Bollipalli and Arjun Kadhe of India.

Indian tennis duo Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth have made a strong start to the ATP tournament in Hangzhou, China, reaching the doubles quarterfinals with a hard-fought victory. The pair overcame the challenge of second seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool of Great Britain in a thrilling three-set encounter, winning 6-7(4), 7-6(6), [10-8].In a closely contested match, the Indian duo displayed resilience and determination to come back from a set down. They lost the first set in a tie-breaker but bounced back to win the second set in another tie-breaker. The match was ultimately decided in a super tie-breaker, where Nedunchezhiyan and Prashanth emerged victorious with a 10-8 scoreline.Meanwhile, in the Chengdu ATP event, Yuki Bhambri and Albano Olivetti of France also advanced to the doubles semifinals with a hard-earned 12-10 victory in the super tie-breaker. The Indo-French pair defeated Gonzalo Escobar of Ecuador and Diego Hidalgo of Colombia in a three-set battle, 5-7, 6-3, [12-10].The Indian tennis players' success in these ATP tournaments highlights their growing presence on the international stage. Nedunchezhiyan and Prashanth have been in impressive form this season, winning the doubles title at the Challenger tournament in Bengaluru earlier this year. Bhambri, a former top-100 singles player, has also shown his versatility by partnering with Olivetti to achieve success in doubles.These results bode well for Indian tennis as the players continue to make their mark on the global circuit. With their determination and skill, Nedunchezhiyan, Prashanth, and Bhambri are poised to achieve even greater success in the future.