India’s Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha and Thailand’s Pruchya Isaro capped off their campaign at the 2026 Cranbrook Tennis Classic in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan by finishing as runners-up in the men’s doubles event.
The 3rd-seeded duo put together a remarkable escape-act sequence across the tournament before succumbing to top-seeded home favorites James Tracy and Trey Hilderbrand in the summit clash 3-6, 6-7(2).
A High-Wire Act to the Final
Poonacha and Isaro demonstrated extraordinary mental toughness and grit in Michigan, saving multiple match points in back-to-back encounters to book their place in the championship match:
- Quarterfinals (vs Lammons/Withrow): Showed incredible nerve in a grueling match tie-break, saving 5 match points to pull off an edge-of-the-seat 6-4, 0-6, [15-13] victory.
- Semifinals (vs 2nd seeds Reynolds/Watt): Faced down 2 match points against the Australian/New Zealand pair of Finn Reynolds and James Watt, eventually fighting back to prevail 6-7(2), 7-6(7), [11-9].
Tournament Path Summary
| Round | Opponents | Score / Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| R16 | S. Kozlov / B. Perez | W 6-2, 7-6(0) |
| QF | N. Lammons / J. Withrow | W 6-4, 0-6, [15-13] (Saved 5 MPs) |
| SF | (2) F. Reynolds / J. Watt | W 6-7(2), 7-6(7), [11-9] (Saved 2 MPs) |
| Final | (1) J. Tracy / T. Hilderbrand | L 3-6, 6-7(2) |
Milestones & Broader Context
While the duo missed out on lifting the trophy, the week in Bloomfield Hills underlined an outstanding season of consistency for both players:
- 7th Final as a Pair: This marked the 7th ATP Challenger final of 2026 for the Indo-Thai combination.
- 8th Final for Poonacha: It was Poonacha’s 8th Challenger final of the season overall (having also reached the final in Bengaluru alongside Saketh Myneni)
- New Career High: Thanks to his run in Michigan, Poonacha reached a new projected career-high ATP doubles ranking of World No. 88.
With significant ranking points bagged and a reputation for being one of the toughest pairs to close out on tour, Poonacha and Isaro carry tremendous momentum into the rest of the North American hardcourt swing.
Photos from the final –
