All posts tagged: Ramkumar Ramanathan

Two Indian men’s doubles pairs make semifinal cut

Two Indian men’s doubles pairs make semifinal cut

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The unseeded Indian pairing of Siddhant Banthia and Parikshit Somani dismantled Nicolas Mejia and Bernard Tomic 7-5, 6-0 to reach the DafaNews Bengaluru Open doubles semifinals on Thursday. The home duo will now fight it out with Australia’s Blake Bayldon and Mattew Christopher Romios for a place in the title clash. An even first set on Court 1 of the KSLTA Tennis Stadium saw both Banthia/Somani and Mejia/Tomic go toe-to-toe for the upper hand, which the latter nearly seized in game seven. However, after saving a crucial break point, the Indian pair swept through games nine and 11 on their serve, before breaking in game 12 for the lead. Carrying the momentum with them into the second set, Banthia and Somani then bageled their opponents in the second set that lasted just 20 minutes. Earlier, Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni took a step closer to a successful title defence with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Hynek Barton and Eric Vanshelboim. The reigning champions broke early in the first set before smoothly sailing into a lead. …

Ramkumar Ramanathan-Saketh Myneni bank on trust for continued success

Ramkumar Ramanathan-Saketh Myneni bank on trust for continued success

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So close yet so far. Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni were just one step away from making back-to-back triumphs at the Chennai Open. But standing in their way were the formidable Japanese duo of Shintaro Mochizuki and Kaito Uesugi, who made light work of the home favourites, winning in straight sets. The Indian duo remained composed, smiling through the presentation ceremony and graciously engaging with fans who queued up for photographs. Saketh Myneni and Ramkumar with Shintaro Mochizuki and Kaito Uesugi. (Photo Credit: Arjun Mylvahanan/The Bridge) This air of calmness prevails even during matches, and it is part of the reason why they work so well as a pair. Take the semi-finals, for instance, against tournament top seed Ray Ho and Matthew Christopher Romios. Deep into the second set tie-breaker, the Indians trailed 1-5. The set was almost in the hands of the Taiwanese-Aussie pair but from there, Ramkumar and Myneni won it 10-8. Trusting each other’s ability “I think what’s clicking for us is that we trust each other’s game even when we miss …

Ramkumar-Saketh Myneni lose in men’s doubles final

Ramkumar-Saketh Myneni lose in men’s doubles final

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Chennai: The Indian campaign at the 2025 Chennai Open Challenger came to an abrupt end as Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni lost their men’s doubles final here on Saturday. The pair, who won the 2024 edition, were unable to defend their title as they lost to Japanese doubles duo Shintaro Mochizuki and Kaito Uesugi 4-6, 4-6. in straight sets 🔈#Breaking | Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni succumb in the doubles final of the Chennai Open ATP Challenger. On Saturday evening, the Indian duo stumbled at the final hurdle when they were beaten 4-6, 4-6 by Shintaro Mochizuki and Kaito Uesugi. 📸@ArjunMyl… pic.twitter.com/azqqOTDEEq — The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) February 8, 2025 The Japanese were on the money right from the first set and it did not take them long to pull ahead. They maintained their advantage, ultimately winning the match 6-4. The second set followed suit, with the Indians simply unable to match the intensity and vigor of Shintaro and Kaito. They ultimately succumbed to them, losing the second set 6-4 and the finals. Speaking after the …

Defending champions Ramkumar-Saketh into the finals

Defending champions Ramkumar-Saketh into the finals

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Chennai: Indian men’s doubles duo Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni moved one step closer to a second consecutive Chennai Open ATP Challenger title with a hard-fought 7-6(5), 7-6(8) win over top seeds Ray Ho and Matthew Christopher Romios on Friday evening. The Indian duo had their hands full in the contest, being forced to save a set point in the second set tiebreak before emerging winners on their third match point. Ramkumar Ramanathan/Saketh Myneni stun top seed to advance into ATP 125 : Chennai Challenger: No. 3 seeds Ramkumar Ramanathan / Saketh Myneni advanced to the final with a 6-7 6-7 victory over top seed Ray Ho (TWN) / Matthew Romios (AUS) Indian pair are defending Champions pic.twitter.com/yxwPNeWNY2 — Sports India (@SportsIndia3) February 7, 2025 Ramkumar and Saketh had a run for their money in their semifinals against the top-seeded Ray and Romios, who pulled things back from being 2-4 down in the first set to level it at 6-6. In the tiebreaker, the Indian duo prevailed, winning 7-5 and took a 1-0 lead. The …

All-Indian Doubles final looms at Chennai Open ATP Challenger

All-Indian Doubles final looms at Chennai Open ATP Challenger

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Indian tennis fans could be in for an all-Indian doubles final at the Chennai Open ATP Challenger, with two homegrown pairs advancing to the semi-finals, on Thursday. Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan/Vijay Sundar Prashanth, the second seeds, and defending champions Ramkumar Ramanathan/Saketh Myneni, the third seeds, are just one win away from a potential face-off for the title. In their quarter-final matches on Thursday, Nedunchezhiyan/Prashanth put on a dominant display, defeating Zimbabwe’s Courtney John Lock and Japan’s Rio Noguchi 6-2, 6-2 in just over an hour. Ramanathan/Myneni, who clinched the title last year, followed suit with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Egor Agafonov/Evgenii Tiurnev to secure their spot in the last four. The two Indian duos are now one step away from a showdown in the final. Nedunchezhiyan/Prashanth will face the unseeded Japanese duo of Shintaro Mochizuki and Kaito Uesugi, who caused an upset by defeating fourth seeds Francis Casey Alcantara and Pruchya Isaro 7-5, 6-4. Meanwhile, Ramanathan/Myneni will take on top seeds Ray Ho and Matthew Christopher Romios, who won a tense 7-6, 7-6 match against fellow …

Togo whitewashed but Indian Tennis faces a long road ahead

Togo whitewashed but Indian Tennis faces a long road ahead

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India cruised to a comfortable 4-0 victory against Togo in the Davis Cup World Group I tie held on February 1st and 2nd at DLTA, New Delhi. The home team delivered a commanding performance, highlighting its strength in doubles while also giving young talent a chance to shine. On the opening day, Sasikumar Mukund set the tone by defeating Togo’s Liova Ajavon in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, with minimal resistance. In the second singles match, Ramkumar Ramanathan faced Togo’s No. 1 player, Thomas Setodji. With aggressive serving and precise shot-making, Ramanathan wrapped up the match in just 45 minutes, securing a 6-0, 6-2 win and giving India a 2-0 lead. The doubles match on Day 2 featured Sriram Balaji and Davis Cup debutant Rithwik Bollipalli against Togo’s Hod’abalo Isak Padio and M’lapa Tingou Akomolo. The Indian pair dominated, clinching a 6-2, 6-1 victory and sealing the tie for India at 3-0. With victory assured, Karan Singh was given an opportunity to make his Davis Cup debut in a dead rubber match. The young Indian delivered …

India faces surprise threat from in-form Togo in World Group I play-off

India faces surprise threat from in-form Togo in World Group I play-off

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New Delhi: India is set to face Togo in the Davis Cup World Group I play-off at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) in New Delhi on Saturday. The two-day tie will conclude on February 2. The winning team will advance to the World Group I tie in September, while the losing team will drop to World Group II. Despite being a much lower-ranked team, Togo arrives in Delhi in formidable form. The West African nation has won 10 of its 11 Davis Cup fixtures over the past two years, including a 3-2 win against Indonesia and a dominant 4-0 victory over Latvia at home, which secured its promotion to the World Group I play-offs. Togo’s impressive streak has drawn concern from Indian captain Rohit Rajpal. “They are hitting the ball pretty well. They are looking good. We were surprised. They look quite talented as well,” Rajpal said at the press conference on Friday. Togo player Thomas Setodji addressing the media. (Photo credit: Special Arrangement) Togo’s captain, Agnamba Ali, acknowledged the challenge of facing India, …

Ramkumar-Saketh win Seoul Open ATP Challenger title

Ramkumar-Saketh win Seoul Open ATP Challenger title

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Indian men’s doubles pairing of Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni clinched the Seoul Open ATP Challenger title on Sunday in Seoul, Korea. Ramkumar and Saketh defeated the USA’s Vasil Kirkov and Bart Stevens 6-4, 4-6, 10-3 to win the Challenger 100-level event in an hour and 18 minutes. Although the Indian duo made a brisk start by winning the first set 6-4, Vasil and his Dutch partner Bart staged a comeback by winning the second set. In the third set, Ramkumar and Saketh held onto their nerves and prevailed in the match by winning the set 10-3. The Indians stayed ahead throughout the match in terms of winning points from the first and second serves. They won 85 per cent of points from the first serve and 63 per cent from the second serve, as opposed to 72 and 59 per cent by Vasil and Bart. The victory marked a special moment for Ramkumar and Saketh. Last year, they won the men’s doubles silver in the Hangzhou Asian Games. This was Ramkumar and Saketh’s fourth …

“Circle Of Life”: India Tennis Great Leander Paes Gives Candid Answer Current Struggles

“Circle Of Life”: India Tennis Great Leander Paes Gives Candid Answer Current Struggles

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The legendary Leander Paes on Wednesday lamented the decline of Indian tennis, describing it as part of the “circle of life” while emphasising the need for patience. The Indian team endured a 0-4 defeat against Sweden in its Davis Cup World Group I tie recently, which relegated them to the play-off stage for the upcoming year. “Like anything in life, when you go up, you have to come down, and then you come back up again. I am a big believer in the circle of life,” the former world No 1 in doubles said. “I think we all need to have a little bit of patience as far as tennis goes. We have all enjoyed such an upswing over the last 40 years, proving that we can be number one in both women’s doubles and men’s doubles.” Currently, Sumit Nagal is the only Indian player in the top 100 of the ATP men’s singles rankings, positioned at 83, while Ramkumar Ramanathan follows at 332. At 44 years, Rohan Bopanna remains the flag-bearer of …

Ramkumar Ramanathan loses to the world No. 56 Alexander Shevchenko

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Ramkumar Ramanathan was eliminated from the ATP Shanghai Masters in the first round, losing in straight sets to Kazakhstan’s world No. 56, Alexander Shevchenko, on Thursday. Making his return to the main draw of the ATP 1000 after seven years, the 29-year-old struggled against the higher-ranked opponent, suffering a defeat with scores of 1-6, 6(3)-7 in Shanghai, China. Shevchenko showcased his attacking skills from the outset, breaking Ramanathan’s serve in the very first game to jump to a 3-0 lead in the opening set. Ramanathan managed to get on the board by holding serve in the fourth game, but it was a hard-fought battle as Shevchenko pushed to deuce despite being down 15-40. The Kazakh player then secured another break in the sixth game, comfortably closing out the first set at 6-1. A missed opportunity The second set was a marked improvement for Ramkumar Ramanathan, as he displayed a much stronger serving performance and remained perfect on his serve throughout the set. In the 12th game, he had a significant opportunity to force a deciding …