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.

Second seed Ramkumar Ramanathan faced a stern test from qualifier Chirag Duhan in the quarterfinals of the HPCL-Mittal $15,000 ITF men's tennis tournament in Chandigarh. After dropping the first set 4-6, Ramanathan rallied to win the next two sets 6-2, 6-4, securing a hard-fought victory.In the first set, Duhan displayed impressive form, taking an early lead and maintaining it throughout. However, Ramanathan's experience and composure came to the fore in the second set. He broke Duhan's serve twice and dominated the set, leveling the match.The third set proved to be the most intense, with both players trading blows. Duhan surged ahead 3-1, but Ramanathan refused to be deterred. He fought back with determination, winning five consecutive games to seal the victory.In the semifinals, Ramanathan will face Nam Hoang Ly of Vietnam, who defeated Thanapet Chanta of Thailand in straight sets. Top seed Khumoyun Sultanov also advanced to the semifinals after a 7-6(4), 6-4 win over Siddharth Vishwakarma. S. Mukund completed the semifinal lineup with a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 victory over Bang Shuo Yin.In doubles, Siddhant Banthia and Karan Singh upset second seeds Manish Sureshkumar and Vishnu Vardhan in straight sets. They will now face the Korean duo of Yunseok Jang and Woobin Shin in the title clash.

Ankita Raina and Ramkumar Ramanathan emerged victorious in the 42nd PSPB inter-unit tennis tournament held at the DLTA Complex. The tournament featured a packed schedule of team championships, singles, and doubles events over four days.In the men's singles final, Ramkumar Ramanathan of Indian Oil defeated his teammate Chirag Duhan 9-5. Ramkumar had previously overcome Vishnu Vardhan and Rithvik Bollipalli en route to the final.Ankita Raina of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) claimed the women's singles title with a 9-5 victory over Riya Bhatia of Indian Oil. Notably, Ankita had previously defeated Riya in straight sets during the team championship.The men's doubles title went to Vishnu Vardhan and Rithvik, who defeated Ramkumar and Chirag in the final.In the veterans category, Rajkumar Dubey of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) won the singles title and teamed up with Monish Sharma to clinch the doubles title. BPCL had also emerged victorious in the team championship.Riya Sachdeva was recognized as the "most promising player" of the tournament.The trophies were presented by Vartika Shukla, Chairman and Managing Director of the host, Engineers India Limited (EIL).

In a thrilling display of tennis prowess, Ramkumar Ramanathan outplayed the reigning champion Stefano Napolitano in the first round of the $133,250 Maha Open Challenger tennis tournament at the Balewadi Stadium on Tuesday. The Indian ace served with precision and executed intelligent strokes, turning the tide in his favor in both sets.Ramkumar, once ranked 111, showcased his resilience and determination throughout the match. Despite a slow start, he elevated his game when it mattered most, particularly with his powerful serve. He fired 15 aces and displayed imaginative stroke play, keeping Napolitano on the back foot.The 28-year-old Indian converted one of the nine break points in the match, while Napolitano capitalized on one of two break points early on. Ramkumar's victory sets up a second-round clash with qualifier Alexey Zakharov, while Sumit Nagal, who had earlier secured a hard-fought victory, will face compatriot Niki Poonacha.In the doubles competition, the woes of Sriram Balaji and Andre Begemann continued as the fourth seeds suffered a first-round defeat despite having a match point. Coach M Balachandran attributed their loss to a lack of confidence and poor execution in tie-breaks and return games.