KIGALI, RWANDA – Indian tennis witnessed a historic moment as Siddhant Banthia, partnering with Alexander Donski of Bulgaria, triumphed at the ATP Kigali Challenger 100, marking the just the second time an Indian player has won an ATP Challenger title on African soil. The first was Karan Singh, who won the ATP 50 Brazzaville Doubles title in 2024 partnering Florent Bax.

Banthia and Donski, seeded fourth, displayed formidable teamwork throughout the tournament. Their journey to victory included a series of impressive wins:

• Round 1: Defeated Maxime Janvier (FRA) and Andrea Picchione (ITA) 6-4, 7-6(3).
• Quarterfinals: Overcame Scott Duncan (BR) and Kelsey Stevenson (CAN) 6-1, 6-7(6), [10-6].  
• Semifinals: Dominated wildcard entrants Alafia Ayeni (USA) and Luka Pavlovic (FRA) 6-4, 6-3.  
• Final: Secured the title with a hard-fought 6-4, 5-7, [10-8] victory against third-seeded Geoffrey Blancaneaux (FRA) and Zdenek Kolar (CZE).  

This victory, coupled with his semifinal appearance at the Bangalore Challenger 125 last week alongside Parikshit Somani, has propelled Banthia’s career to new heights. In just two weeks, he has amassed a remarkable 139 ATP points, with a +42 points gain last week and a +97 gain this week. This surge has increased his total points to 395, projecting his ranking to approximately #197 in the world.

This significant leap represents a jump of around 70 spots in just two weeks, surpassing his previous career-high ranking of #250 by over 50 places.

Adding to his accomplishments, Banthia now joins the elite group of 11 Indian players within the ATP top 200 in doubles. Notably, at just 24 years old, he is the second youngest Indian in this esteemed group, trailing only Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli (#65). Together, they stand as the only Indian players under 25 in the top 200. Furthermore, only Anirudh Chandrasekhar (#109) is under 29 years old among the 11 indians in the top 200.

Banthia’s historic win in Kigali not only brings pride to Indian tennis but also signals a promising future for the young athlete. His recent performances demonstrate his growing prowess on the international stage, solidifying his position as a rising star in the world of doubles tennis.