Braunschweig Challenger: Balaji-Escobar finish as runners-up

The Indo-Ecuadorian pair of Sriram Balaji and Gonzalo Escobar conceded a three-set defeat in the final of the ATP 125 Challenger event in Braunschweig, Germany, on Saturday.

They suffered a hard-fought (6-4, 4-6, 8-10) loss to the Dutch pair of Sander Arends and Robin Haase, finishing the tournament as runners-up.

Balaji, now partnering with Rohan Bopanna, will take part in the ATP 500 tournament in Hamburg next week, which serves as a preparatory event for the forthcoming Paris Olympics.

The tight three-setter

It wasn't a good start for them in the final as Balaji lost his serve in the first game, giving the Dutch an early 2-0 lead. However, they bounced back when Arends lost his serve despite saving two break points in the fifth game.

The set remained closely contested until the final game. Escobar displayed precise baseline play and earned a break with a couple of strong returns, securing the set 6-4.

The second set saw both pairs holding their serves smoothly. However, in the ninth game, the Dutch pair broke Balaji's serve using effective net play. They held their serve perfectly in the final game to take the set 6-4, forcing a super tiebreaker.

The super tiebreaker began well for the Indo-Ecuadorian pair as they took an early lead and went up by one mini-break. Unfortunately, Escobar's double fault caused them to lose their lead. Things worsened as the Ecuadorian lost a second consecutive point on his serve. The Dutch seized the opportunity and won the super tiebreaker 10-8.