By Vandana Elangovan– 23rd September, 2019
Divij Sharan and Ramkumar Ramanathan are the star performers for India this week, with Divij Sharan winning the ATP 250 title in St. Petersburg and Ramkumar making the semifinals in ATP Murray Trophy, a Challenger event in Glasgow, Scotland.
Divij Sharan bags ATP 250-St.Petersburg title
It was yet another fantastic week for Divij Sharan, as he bagged his second ATP tour title for the year and the third title overall. The Indian no. 2 partnered Igor Zelenay for the week and the duo ousted the top seeds and fourth seeds on their way to glory. In what was a nail-biting final the Indo-Slovakian pair held their nerves the conquer the Italian duo of Bolelli/Berrettini 6-3 3-6 10-8.
Picture Courtesy: ATP St. Petersburg Open
Ramkumar Ramanathan: Semi-final run in ATP Murray Trophy- Glasgow.
Ramkumar Ramanathan, who has been having sub-par results lately, got back into rhythm with an impressive run till semi-finals in Glasgow Challenger in both singles and doubles. Coming into the event as the 5th seed, he didn’t drop a set and was unbroken till his run to the semifinals. Going up against Alexandre Muller in the semis, Ramkumar led his opponent by a break in all the three sets, but eventually lost 5-7 1-6 4-6 in a close three setter.
Ramkumar Ramanathan shared a few thoughts about his run and his goals for the year.
“I had a good one week of training before coming two weeks back. I think it has made me focused to play the way I want. I have my coach here with me, John. Him guiding me has also helped me a lot, on court and I respect that.”
“My goal is to finish this year inside the top -100 and we have been working a lot on my game and I have been really focused the past few weeks, I have been trying with a lot of good energy, accepting whatever comes. That is the key. I have been enjoying every bit of what I’m doing on court.”
Other results
There was a huge Indian presence in OEC Kaohsuing Open in Taiwan, led by Prajnesh Gunneswaran, who eventually lost to Lopez-Perez in a tight three-setter in the third round. Mukund Sasikumar also made a buzz this week after beating Goncalo Oliveira in a stunning comeback win after saving two match points in R1, but eventually lost to his longtime friend Marc Polmans in the next round.
Picture Courtesy: ATP St. Petersburg Open
In ITF $15K event in Nanchang, Anirudh Chandrasekar won the doubles title partnering Luca Castelnuovo on clay.Picture Courtesy: ITF Nanchang
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