Siddhant Banthia and Alexander Donski won the men’s doubles title at the Rwanda Challenger 2025 in Kigali, defeating the third-seeded pair Geoffrey Blancaneaux and Zdenek Kolar in a closely contested final. This victory marks Banthia’s first ATP Challenger title. Their path included victories in the semifinals and earlier rounds against various opponents, while India’s Niki Poonacha suffered an unexpected first-round exit.
India’s Siddhant Banthia and his Bulgarian partner Alexander Donski secured the men’s doubles title at the Rwanda Challenger 2025 tennis tournament in Kigali on Saturday. The fourth-seeded pair triumphed over the third seeds, Geoffrey Blancaneaux from France and Zdenek Kolar from Czechia, winning with a score of 6-4, 5-7, 10-8. This victory marks Banthia’s first ATP Challenger title at the age of 24.
The final was highly competitive, with both teams maintaining serve for the first eight games. Banthia and Donski managed to break their opponents in the ninth game, subsequently winning the first set 6-4. The second set mirrored this pattern, as Blancaneaux and Kolar broke just at the right moment to force a super tiebreaker after winning the set 7-5.
In the super tiebreaker, the Indian-Bulgarian duo initially led 6-4, but Blancaneaux and Kolar rallied to take an 8-7 lead. However, Banthia and Donski clinched the championship by winning the last three points, finishing the match in one hour and 37 minutes. Throughout the match, they recorded seven aces and successfully defended six of the seven breakpoints they encountered.
In the semi-finals of the ATP Challenger 100 tournament, Banthia and Donski defeated American wildcard Alafia Ayeni and France’s Luka Pavlovic with a score of 6-4, 6-3, after winning their earlier rounds against unseeded teams. Conversely, India’s top-seeded player Niki Poonacha and Zimbabwe’s Courtney John Lock faced a surprising exit in the first round, losing to the unseeded French duo Corentin Denolly and Clement Tabur.
Siddhant Banthia and Alexander Donski’s victory at the Rwanda Challenger 2025 establishes their capabilities as a formidable doubles team, highlighted by a strategic win against skilled opponents. This tournament not only signifies a breakthrough title for Banthia but also emphasizes the competitiveness within ATP Challenger events. Furthermore, the unexpected exit of top-seeded players accentuates the unpredictable nature of tennis competitions. Overall, Banthia and Donski’s performance showcases their potential for future successes in the ATP circuit.
Original Source: www.olympics.com
