All-Indian Doubles final looms at Chennai Open ATP Challenger

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 Indians Siddhant Banthia and Parikshit Somani, with neither pair managing a break of serve.

In the singles draw, top seed Billy Harris advanced to the quarter-finals with a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 victory over Turkey’s Ergu Kirkin.

However, there were surprises as second seed Lloyd Harris and fourth seed Alexis Galarneau were both eliminated. Lloyd Harris, a former US Open quarter-finalist, was defeated 6-1, 6-1 by Czech Dalibor Svrcina, who delivered a commanding performance. Galarneau also fell in straight sets, losing 6-2, 6-2 to France’s Kyrian Jacquet.

Former Australian Open semi-finalist Aslan Karatsev was another high-profile casualty, as he lost 6-4, 7-5 to Kazakhstan’s Timofey Skatov. Fifth seed Shintaro Mochizuki and unseeded Ukrainian Oleksandr Ovcharenko also secured their places in the quarter-finals.

Looking ahead to Friday, the singles quarter-finals will take place, alongside the doubles semi-finals. The Chennai Open ATP Challenger, which is supported by the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, continues to attract attention as it kicks off a series of ATP Challenger events across India, including upcoming tournaments in Delhi, Pune, and Bengaluru.

Entry for spectators remains free, and the doubles final is scheduled for Saturday, February 8, 2025, while the singles final will take place on Sunday, February 9, 2025.

Chennai Open ATP Challenger – Thursday, February 6, 2025 Results:

Singles Main Draw Second Round:

- [1] Billy Harris (GBR) def. Ergi Kirkin (TUR) 6-3, 6-3

- Dalibor Svrcina (CZE) def. [2] Lloyd Harris (RSA) 6-1, 6-1

- Kyrian Jacquet (FRA) def. [4] Alexis Galarneau (CAN) 6-2, 6-2