Bengaluru Open: Unseeded Indian Duo Banthia-Somani Charge into Doubles Semifinals

Bengaluru, Feb 27 (NationPress) The unseeded Indian duo of Siddhant Banthia and Parikshit Somani triumphed over Nicolas Mejia and Bernard Tomic with a score of 7-5, 6-0, advancing to the semifinals of the Bengaluru Open doubles competition on Thursday. The Indian pair is set to face off against Australia's Blake Bayldon and Matthew Christopher Romios for a chance to compete in the final.

Hosted by the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA), the Bengaluru Open is part of the ATP Challenger 125 series, featuring a total prize money of USD 200,000. It stands as India's premier international tennis tournament. The winner of this hard-court event will be awarded 125 ATP ranking points. The first set on Court 1 of the KSLTA Tennis Stadium was tightly contested, with both Banthia/Somani and Mejia/Tomic demonstrating their skills. The Indian duo saved a critical break point and took control, winning games nine and eleven on their serve, ultimately breaking in game twelve to gain the lead.

Building on their momentum, Banthia and Somani delivered a flawless performance in the second set, overwhelming their opponents and clinching a quick victory that lasted just 20 minutes.

Earlier in the day, Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni edged closer to defending their title with a solid 6-3, 6-3 win against Hynek Barton and Eric Vanshelboim. The reigning champions secured an early break in the first set and maintained their advantage with important breaks in the second set, sealing their win.

The most accomplished doubles team in the tournament, Ramanathan and Myneni, will face the winners of the match between Anirudh Chandrasekar/Ray Ho and SD Prajwal Dev/Aryan Shah for a spot in the final.

Joining the Indian pairs in the semifinals are the second-seeded Bayldon and Romios. They faced India's Adil Kalyanpur and Karan Singh, breaking their opponents in the very first game and setting a strong tone for the match.

In the second set, the Australian duo overcame challenges, breaking their opponents in game seven and saving two critical breakpoints in game eight to secure a 6-2, 6-4 victory.

In singles action, Hynek Barton continued his impressive streak, following up on his surprise victory over top seed Vit Kopriva with a 7-6(5), 6-3 win against Denmark's August Holmgren to reach the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, third seed Brandon Holt battled back from a set down to defeat former World No. 17 Bernard Tomic in a tough match, winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to secure his place in the last eight. The day also saw seventh seed Shintaro Mochizuki triumph over Jay Clarke with a score of 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.