Bengaluru Challenger 1 and 2 - Jan/Feb 2022

[PKBasu]

Ramkumar fell away in the second set after winning the first set 6-3. (My Google scoreboard was frozen for a long time at 0-1, 30-all, then suddenly after half an hour it showed 0-6, which I found difficult to believe).

Ramkumar lost 63 06 57 to Purcell

We are down to just one singles player in R2 of a home Challenger. This is really a catastrophic situation.

[vparam]

What’s the point of hosting these events in India when our players continue to underperform time after time? It’s so frustrating to see our boys not take advantage of playing at home. I see no hope in singles for these guys. Sad!

[sameerph]

Well, nobody has really underperformed here. Not even 1 Indian player in qualifying and main draw has played a lower ranked foreign player in this challenger so far and we have got 3 wins ( 2 by Arjun Kadhe in qualifying and 1 by Prajnesh today) over higher ranked players. The only in the main draw who really had a chance to win I think was RamK and he lost in a close one.

It is really one of the toughest challenger in India I have seen in a long time, somewhat European or American challenger level.

[PKBasu]

The lesson seems to be that it is a bad idea to have Challengers in India immediately after the only ATP tournament we host. The two should be de-linked!! We should revert to holding the Tata Maharashtra Open BEFORE the Australian Open rather than after it. That will improve the quality of the Pune ATP event, and also reduce the quality of the field in the February Challengers in India

[sameerph]

True, at least next week's field appears somewhat weaker due to few players flying out to play Doha ATP. But, as of now qualifying field still looks quite tough.

[PKBasu]

Top-seeded Purav/Jeevan won the first set 6-4 over Alt-Gojo/Kuzmanov and were up a break in the second, but they've let their opponents break back. Now the top seeds are serving to stay in the second set at 4-5.

[PKBasu]

Doubles looking good as usual:

[R1] 1-Purav Raja/Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (IND/IND) d. Borna Gojo/Dimitar Kuzmanov (CRO/BUL) 64 67(2) 10-8

[R1] 3-Ramkumar Ramanathan/Saketh Myneni (IND/IND) d. Toshihide Matsui/Markos Kalovelonis (JAP/GRE) 63 63

[PKBasu]

And a fourth Indian pair enters the doubles QF:

[R1] Vishnu Vardhan/N. Sriram Balaji (IND/IND) d. Kimmer Coppejans/Mathias Bourgue (BEL/FRA) 46 64 10-3

They play Grenier/Muller in the QF.

[PKBasu]

All four doubles QFs are on the schedule for tomorrow. Top seeds Purav/Jeevan play Clarke/Polmans, Saketh/Ramkumar play Diez/Jaziri at 1:40pm IST, and at the same time on Centre Court, Yuki/Divij play 2nd seeds Erler/Kopriva.

[PKBasu]

Fitness is our bane . Prajnesh won the first set 6-3 against top-seeded Jiri Vesely, then lost the second 2-6 and is now 0-5 down in the third

And Prajnesh lost 63 26 16

[PKBasu]

Ramkumar and Saketh got a walkover in their doubles QF against the Alt pair, and are smoothly through to the SF.

[PKBasu]

Yuki/Divij lost to the second seeds (Erler/Kopriva) 46 36 in the QF. Yuki's attempt to become a doubles player (alongside singles) is not getting off the ground, and Divij really seems to be on his last legs as a pro doubles player.
The early loss gives Yuki a good chance to get to Doha and acclimatize in time for the qualifiers there this weekend.

[sameerph]

The early loss gives Yuki a good chance to get to Doha and acclimatize in time for the qualifiers there this weekend.

But he is not in the qualifying entry list for Doha with his PR. So, he will be able to play there only if he gets a wild card.

[prasen9]

Andy Murray got one wildcard in Doha.

[suresh]

Yuki/Divij lost to the second seeds (Erler/Kopriva) 46 36 in the QF. Yuki's attempt to become a doubles player (alongside singles) is not getting off the ground, and Divij really seems to be on his last legs as a pro doubles player.
The early loss gives Yuki a good chance to get to Doha and acclimatize in time for the qualifiers there this weekend.

Yuki needs to team up with someone who has a big serve. Divij isn't one. Will Yuki/RamK work?