Tennis
HPP Open: Balaji-Begemann wins men's doubles title; Nagal loses men's singles final
It was the third title of the year for Sriram and Begemann. Last week, they won Wolffkran Open in Germany. In October, they won the Slovakia Open, also an ATP Challenger 125 level event, in Bratislava.
Andre Begemann and Sriram Balaji upset US Open champion
Indian tennis player Sriram Balaji and his German partner Andre Begemann won the HPP Open, an ATP Challenger 125 level tournament, men's doubles title in Helsinki, Finland, on Saturday.
They beat all-Indian pair Vijay Sundar Prashanth and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 6-2, 7-5 in the final.
It was the third title of the year for Sriram and Begemann. Last week, they won Wolffkran Open in Germany. In October, they won the Slovakia Open, also an ATP Challenger 125 level event, in Bratislava.
In the semifinal, the Indo-German pair beat Luke Johnson and Skander Mansour 6 (4)-7, 6-4, 10-8 to reach the final. Earlier, they stunned the top seed Andrea Pellegrino and Andrea Vavassori to reach the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Sumit Nagal, up against Corentin Moutet, ranked much above the Indian in the ATP rankings, lost the men's singles final 3-6, 6-3, 2-6.
In the semifinal, Nagal beat world rank 60 Stefano Travaglia of Italy 6-1, 6-4 to enter the final.
This was Nagal's first win against Travaglia after four losses.
