Indian doubles contenders delivered a 2-for-2 quarterfinal sweep at the USD 1,075,160 Almaty Open on Thursday, October 22, as 3rd seed N. Sriram Balaji (IND, 49) alongside Evan King (USA, 60) and 4th seed Yuki Bhambri (IND, 46) alongside Ryan Seggerman (USA, 59) booked their places in the semifinals on the indoor hard courts of Almaty Arena in Kazakhstan.
Competing in opposite halves of the 16-team draw, both Indo-American pairs came through tight quarterfinal tests on Court 1 on Thursday afternoon. Having held a combined 45 of 46 service games across their opening 2 rounds in Almaty, Bhambri and Balaji now sit 1 win away from setting up a Sunday championship clash against each other.
Bhambri and Seggerman save 2 set points to seal twin-tiebreak win
Opening Thursday’s doubles slate on Court 1, 4th seeds Yuki Bhambri (IND, 46) and Ryan Seggerman (USA, 59)—who teamed up for the 1st time on tour this week—edged Alexander Donski (BUL, 81) and Filip Pieczonka (POL, 82) 7-6(6), 7-6(2) in 1 hour and 28 minutes without dropping serve once across 24 regular games.
In a 48-minute opening set where both teams went 6 of 6 on their service games, Bhambri and Seggerman saw 4 break chances slip away from 0-40 at 4-4 before erasing a deciding-point set point on their own delivery at 4-5, 40-40. Trailing 5-6 in the ensuing tiebreak, the 4th seeds saved a 2nd set point and reeled off 3 consecutive points to capture the opener 8-6. After rescuing 1 break point at 3-3 in the 40-minute 2nd set and seeing a match point saved by Donski and Pieczonka at 6-5, 40-40, Bhambri and Seggerman surged to a 5-1 lead in the 2nd-set breaker and closed out the 7-2 tiebreak on their 1st tiebreak match point.
Locked at 4-4 in the 10-point match tiebreak against Jean-Julien Rojer (NED, 63) and Theodore Winegar (USA, 61), 3rd seeds N. Sriram Balaji (IND, 49) and Evan King (USA, 60) won 5 of the next 6 points—securing mini-breaks for 6-4 and 9-5—before converting their 2nd match point for a 6-4, 5-7, [10-6] victory in 1 hour and 34 minutes.
Balaji and King outlast Rojer and Winegar in 94-minute battle
In the afternoon quarterfinal on Court 1, 3rd seeds N. Sriram Balaji (IND, 49) and left-handed American Evan King (USA, 60) held 10 of 11 service games and saved 5 of 6 break points to defeat former Grand Slam doubles champion Jean-Julien Rojer (NED, 63) and Theodore Winegar (USA, 61) 6-4, 5-7, [10-6] across 1 hour and 34 minutes.
Balaji and King were untouchable on serve throughout the 31-minute opening set, holding all 5 of their service games without facing a break point before striking on the deciding point in the 10th game to take the set 6-4. In the 44-minute 2nd set, the 3rd seeds fended off 1 break point in the opening game and 2 more at 4-4, but Rojer and Winegar broke through for the only time in the match at 5-5 and served out the set 7-5. Balaji and King regrouped immediately in the 19-minute match tiebreak, pulling away from 4-4 with aggressive net coverage to clinch the [10-6] win.
45 of 46 service games held
Across 2 rounds in Almaty, Bhambri and Seggerman have held 24 of 24 service games, while Balaji and King have held 21 of 22.
5-0 in tiebreaks this week
Bhambri and Seggerman are 3-0 in 7-point breakers, while Balaji and King have won both a 2nd-set tiebreak and a 10-point match tiebreak.
Opposite halves of the draw
With 3rd seeds Balaji and King in the top half and 4th seeds Bhambri and Seggerman in the bottom half, an all-Indian final remains in play.
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| QF | [4] Yuki Bhambri IND · 46 / Ryan Seggerman USA · 59 def. Alexander Donski BUL · 81 / Filip Pieczonka POL · 82 | 7-6(6), 7-6(2) | Held all 12 of 12 service games & saved 2 set points in 88 minutes |
| QF | [3] N. Sriram Balaji IND · 49 / Evan King USA · 60 def. Jean-Julien Rojer NED · 63 / Theodore Winegar USA · 61 | 6-4, 5-7, [10-6] | Held 10 of 11 service games & saved 5 of 6 break points in 94 minutes |
| R16 | [3] N. Sriram Balaji IND · 49 / Evan King USA · 60 def. Anirudh Chandrasekar IND · 103 / Ray Ho TPE · 65 | 6-4, 7-6(4) | Held all 11 of 11 service games in 78 minutes on October 21 |
| R16 | [4] Yuki Bhambri IND · 46 / Ryan Seggerman USA · 59 def. Sander Gille BEL · 58 / Sem Verbeek NED · 56 | 7-5, 7-6(5) | Held all 12 of 12 service games & rallied from 3-5 down in Set 2 TB |
Bhambri and Seggerman face Lammons and Withrow as Balaji and King await semifinal opponents
In Friday’s bottom-half semifinal on Court 1, 4th seeds Yuki Bhambri (IND, 46) and Ryan Seggerman (USA, 59) take on all-American tandem Nathaniel Lammons (USA, 77) and Jackson Withrow (USA, 88) at 1:30 PM IST (1:00 PM Local). Lammons and Withrow upset 2nd seeds Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner 6-1, 6-7(6), [10-7] in the opening round before defeating Australians Jason Kubler and John Peers 7-6(1), 7-6(3) in Thursday’s quarterfinal.
In the top half of the draw, 3rd seeds N. Sriram Balaji (IND, 49) and Evan King (USA, 60) await the winner of Friday’s remaining quarterfinal between top seeds Lucas Miedler (AUT, 19) and Neil Oberleitner (AUT, 23) and alternates Daniel Cukierman (ISR, 121) and Fernando Romboli (BRA, 93), which is scheduled on Court 1 at 12:00 PM IST (11:30 AM Local).
| Round | Match | Court | Scheduled Start Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SF | [4] Yuki Bhambri IND · 46 / Ryan Seggerman USA · 59 vs Nathaniel Lammons USA · 77 / Jackson Withrow USA · 88 | Court 1 | 1:30 PM IST (1:00 PM Local) |
| QF | [1] Lucas Miedler AUT · 19 / Neil Oberleitner AUT · 23 vs [Alt] Daniel Cukierman ISR · 121 / Fernando Romboli BRA · 93 | Court 1 | 12:00 PM IST (11:30 AM Local) |
| SF | [3] N. Sriram Balaji IND · 49 / Evan King USA · 60 vs Miedler / Oberleitner or Cukierman / Romboli | Almaty Arena | Saturday, October 24 (TBA) |