$50K(+H) Pune/$100K(+H) Bengaluru Challengers Nov 13-26, 2017

[Ravishankar Krishnan]

What a day it's turning out to be. More Davis Cup matches in Pune, I say!

[sameerph]

And RamK is breezing thru, up 5-0 in the first set in 17 minutes.

[sameerph]

RamK wins the first set 6-1 in 23 mins. He wants to have an easy match for change it seems.

[Rajiv]

Yes Hurricane Ram
Just like the Babolat Hurricane strings he uses

[PKBasu]

We’re on a roll. RamK wins the first set 6-1

[S_K_S]

The 2nd set is up for grabs. Could possibly go the way of NM. Bit of a dog fight now.

Well played game at 5-5 to force a break to go 6-5 up. Forced the errors well and played a solid game.

And serves it out for a 6-1, 7-5 win

[Mohit Dahiya 2345]

what a match by all the three players they were just too solid today . Predicting a Saketh vs Yuki final here in Pune

[Mohit Dahiya 2345]

Yuki looks way ahead in terms of strokes and point play compared to all the players playing this tournament

[Mohit Dahiya 2345]

Sumit looked very fit I wonder why he dint play easy clay challengers in China he could have made a mark there as his game is more of grinding sort

[sameerph]

Great. 3 of the 4 semi finalists being Indians. When did it happen last ? I do not remember that happening even at a home challenger.

[jayakris]

Whoa, I got up at 5:30 am thinking some dogfights might be going on, and our top dogs have finished the job already.

Does anybody still think that PKB doesn't know what he is talking about?

[jayakris]

Great. 3 of the 4 semi finalists being Indians. When did it happen last ? I do not remember that happening even at a home challenger.

That was the first thing that struck me too. Pretty sure that it has not happened in at least about 30 years.

[PKBasu]

Thanks Jay!! 4th seeded RamK crushed the 5th seed 6-1, 7-5 — a very impressive performance indeed.
And of course Saketh beat the top seed and world #102 in two close tiebreakers.
So two-thirds of my prediction has come true, and we are assured of one Indian in the final. Yuki needs to repeat his straight set decimation of Menendez-Maceiras from Uzbekistan a couple of years ago to complete the final third of my prediction: an all-India final.

[jaydeep]

Wow, these are superb results ... Really happy for all three of them ... Well deserving, mouth-watering semi-finals.

[SF] (4) Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND,150) vs (WC) Saketh Myneni (IND,912)
[SF] (3) Yuki Bhambri (IND,137) vs (2) Adrian Menendez-Maceiras (ESP,127)

[jayakris]

I think Menendez-Maceiras is the only player who has appeared to be as much in form as the three Indian players though, so Yuki may have his hands full in the SF... But then again, AMM has not been challenged by anybody, so maybe I am worrying too much. An All-India final has at least a 70 or 75% chance now.

What are the live rankings now, for our guys? (EDIT: Okay, 131, 145 and 664 for Yuki, Ramki and Saki ... Our three Ki guys have done great. Okay, I cheated on one name. "Ki" in Chenese means energy)