European Challengers 2025

[sameerph]

True, one of the worst matches I have seen Sumit play. Shots not too deep giving opportunities to his opponent and tons of unforced errors.

If he is really injured or something, he better take a proper break. If not, I do not know how he will come out of this slump, will need big strength of character.

[arjun2761]

He went 1-15 in the second half of last year from the Olympics onwards. He started this year with a good effort at Auckland but has regressed again it seems. He is still 27, so hopefully he has at least one or two good years left age-wise but for good years to happen he has to start winning matches at least on clay.

[Sanjay]

RamK going down hill with age. His grit and determination helped him make one more come back. He just lost his touch in between. But now he should focus on doubles.

Let's face it, he is done in singles. He will stay in this range and then slide out.
As you say better to switch to doubles.

Even Sumit looks headed that way. Reached 68 and now is closer to 150. Either injuries or some problem or other. Could be motivation also. He is 27 so window is closing.

My only hope now is Nishesh (I don't really care about his passport) and Dhamne.

Sorry to interrupt, but Nishesh isn't representing India and his achievement would go to the USA, not India. So, we can't say Nishesh as a hope. Manas is a choice!!
And about Sumit. You are looking at the W-L of 2024 and 2025. But I am saying it again, in terms of game development, this Sumit Nagal is better than the Nagal who upsets Bublik. You need to look out game-wise, then performance. I am pretty sure that Sumit would do well today against Llamas Ruiz!!

That is what I said, it doesn't since he is representing himself, not any country in non-Davis Cup matches. So Nishesh is the next hope as he is Bharatiya.

Sumit... well bad loss today to a 300+ player. I don't know if he will ever get to the Top 100 again.

[sameerph]

Better results in doubles for our players at Murcia Challenger.

RamK with Edas Butvilas of Lithuani upset second seeds 63 63 in the QF to reach the SF. In the other half, Anirudh Chandrasekar with David Vega Harnandez of Spain beat a pair who had upset 4th seeds Jeevan/VSP in the first round to reach SF.

Anirudh/Harnadez play top seeds in the SF while RamK/Butvilas a Dutch pairing.

[PKBasu]

Murcia Challenger Doubles results:

[R1] 4-Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan/Vijay Sundar Prashanth (IND/IND) l. David Stevenson/Johannes Ingilsden (GBR/DEN) 36 75 7-10
[R1] Ramkumar Ramanathan/Edas Butvilas (IND/LIT) d. Javier Cosano/Benjamin Winter Lopez (ESP/ESP) 64 46 10-8
[R1] Anirudh Chandrasekhar/David Vega Hernandes (IND/ ) d. Inigo Cervantes/Sergio Gones (ESP/ESP) 63 26 10-5

[PKBasu]

Murcia Challenger Doubles quarterfinals:

[QF] Ramkumar Ramanathan/Edas Butvilas (IND/LIT) d. 2-Romain Arneodo/Manuel Guinard (MON/FRA) 63 63
[QF] Anirudh Chandrasekhar/David Vega Hernandes (IND/ESP ) d. David Stevenson/Johannes Ingilsden (GBR/DEN) 64 63

Which brings up:
[SF] 1-Orlando Luz/Gregoire Jaq (BRA/FRA) vs. Anirudh Chandrasekhar/David Vega Hernandes (IND/ESP )
[SF] Ramkumar Ramanathan/Edas Butvilas (IND/LIT) vs. Jesper De Jong/Mats Hermans (NED/NED)

[sameerph]

Both the pairs lost in the SF in straight sets.

RamK will be back with Saketh next week at Girona Challenger Anirudh and Niki will also be there with their respective partners.

[ericcw]

I wish Ramkumar played the Indian ITFs. He is defending 33 points over the next month.

[sameerph]

^^^ I think RamK has more or less made up his mind now to focus more on double, he will play singles qualies at challengers wherever he can. Once he gets to a ranking level in doubles which will get him into ATP tour in doubles, give up singles altogether.

No first hand information but I think this is what will happen.

[prasen9]

That is the right thing to do for him.

[jayakris]

That is the right thing to do for him.

Indeed. Should have done it 2 years ago. He wasted a couple of years when he could have made some good money in doubles.

[sameerph]

Jeevan-VSP have also entered Girona Challenger. So, we have 6 Indians players in doubles draw there- 2 all Indian pairs-RamK/Saketh, Jeevan/VSP, Anirudh and Niki with their respective partners.

Sumit is the only one playing bigger Naples Challenger. So, we will have discuss his performance in his individual thread.

[PKBasu]

Only one Indian stayed alive beyond R1 at the Girona Challenger

[R1] Anirudh Chandrasekar/David Vega Hernandez (IND/ESP) d. J Nedunchezhiyan/NV Sundar Prashanth (IND/IND) 63 64
[R1] 1-Orlando Luz/Gregoire Jaq (BRA/FRA) d. N Kaliyandi Poonacha/S Martos Gornes (IND/ESP) 64 76(3)
[R1] M Trungelleti/O Roca Batalla (ARG/ESP) d. Saketh Myneni/Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND/IND) 62 62

[QF] Anirudh Chandrasekar/David Vega Hernandez (IND/ESP) d. Inigo Cervantes/Daniel Rincon (ESP/ESP) 26 64 11-9

[PKBasu]

[SF] Anirudh Chandrasekar/David Vega Hernandez (IND/ESP) d. Matej Vocel/Szymon Walkow (CZE/POL) 63 76(7)

On serve in the second set. 2-1.
Each pair holds to make it 3-3 in the second set.
Still on serve, but our pair lead 5-4, and opponents must hold to stay in the match.
Vocel/Walkow 0-15, 15-30, 30-all,40-30, game. 5-5
Exchange of service holds makes it 6-6.
TB: 1-0, 1-1, 2-1 (MB), 3-1, 3-2 (MB given back), 3-3, 4-3 (MB), 5-3, 6-3 (MP), 6-4, 6-5, 6-6 (3 MPs wasted!!), 7-6 (MP on opponents' serve), 7-7, 8-7 (MP on our serve), WON!

[PKBasu]

Anirudh is ranked 106 in the live rankings, David Vega Hernández is ranked 127. One wonders what is attractive about this partnership for Anirudh: perhaps clay specialisation for his partner. For David, this is his 3rd Challenger doubles final in the past 12 months -- and one of the other two (in Manacor, Spain, on a hard court at the end of August last year) was also partnering Anirudh. (David also made a Challenger final the next week with Benjamin Hassan of Lebanon).
Last week, Anirudh/David made the SF in Murcia, but David had also made the SF (with a Japanese partner) in his previous two Challengers.

Anirudh's most fruitful partnerships have been with fellow-Indians. He won the Villena (Spain) Challenger on hard court with Niki (Oct'24), made the SF of the ATP Newport (grass) with Arjun Kadhe (Jul'24), and won the Oeiras (Portugal) Challenger on clay also with Arjun. Before that, he partnered VSP for nearly half a year, making the QF of ATP Dallas and ATP Houston, and the final of the Quimper (France, hardcourt) Challenger -- all in the early part of 2024. This year, he won the Bangalore Challenger partnering Ray Ho of Taiwan.