2nd seeds Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha (IND, 80) and Gonzalo Escobar (ECU, 89) captured the 2026 ATP Challenger 100 Brest doubles crown in France on Saturday, edging 1st seeds N. Sriram Balaji (IND, 49) and Evan King (USA, 60) 7-6(4), 6-7(4), [10-7] in a 1-hour 57-minute final. The 100-point indoor hard-court triumph propels Poonacha 7 spots up the rankings from 80 to a new career-high ranking of 73.
Neither team surrendered a single service break across all 24 regulation games, with Poonacha and Escobar saving all 2 break points they faced in the 48-minute opening set before deadlocking at 7-7 in the match tiebreak and reeling off 3 consecutive points to clinch the trophy 10-7.
Poonacha and Escobar outlast Balaji and King in an un-broken 2-tiebreak final
In an all-Indian championship showdown at the Brest Arena, 2nd seeds Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha (IND, 80) and Gonzalo Escobar (ECU, 89) saved break points in the 3rd and 6th games of the opening set to take the 1st-set tiebreak 7-4 in 48 minutes, before top seeds N. Sriram Balaji (IND, 49) and Evan King (USA, 60) answered by winning the 2nd-set tiebreak 7-4 in 54 minutes without facing a break point. Locked at 7-7 in the 15-minute deciding match tiebreak, Poonacha and Escobar won the final 3 points in a row for a 7-6(4), 6-7(4), [10-7] victory, building on their 6-4, 6-4 semifinal win over 3rd seeds Ivan Liutarevich (84) and Joshua Paris (GBR, 104).
| Round | Match | Score | Result | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | [2] Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha IND · 80 / Gonzalo Escobar ECU · 89 def. [1] N. Sriram Balaji IND · 49 / Evan King USA · 60 | 7-6(4), 6-7(4), [10-7] | Champion | Won the last 3 points from 7-7 in the match tiebreak after holding all 12 service games in 1h 57m. |
| SF | [2] Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha IND · 80 / Gonzalo Escobar ECU · 89 def. [3] Ivan Liutarevich 84 / Joshua Paris GBR · 104 | 6-4, 6-4 | Won | Saved all 3 break points faced and converted 1 break in each set in 1h 17m. |
| QF | [2] Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha IND · 80 / Gonzalo Escobar ECU · 89 def. Felix Balshaw FRA · 422 / Matteo Martineau FRA · 439 | Walkover | Advanced | Advanced to the semifinals after the French pair withdrew prior to the match. |
| R16 | [2] Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha IND · 80 / Gonzalo Escobar ECU · 89 | Bye | On-Site Bye | Received an official on-site bye into the quarterfinals as the 2nd seeds. |
| Round | Match | Score | Result | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | [2] Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha IND · 80 / Gonzalo Escobar ECU · 89 def. [1] N. Sriram Balaji IND · 49 / Evan King USA · 60 | 6-7(4), 7-6(4), [7-10] | Runner-Up | Held all 12 service games and won the 2nd-set tiebreak 7-4 before falling 7-10 in the decider. |
| SF | [1] N. Sriram Balaji IND · 49 / Evan King USA · 60 def. Benjamin Kittay USA · 97 / Takeru Yuzuki JPN · 156 | 6-2, 7-6(6) | Won | Clinched an 8-6 2nd-set tiebreak to seal straight-sets victory in 1h 19m. |
| QF | [1] N. Sriram Balaji IND · 49 / Evan King USA · 60 def. Andriy Poritskyi UKR · 535 / Vadym Ursu UKR · 691 | 6-3, 6-7(9), [10-5] | Won | Rebounded from a 9-11 2nd-set tiebreak to dominate the match tiebreak 10-5 in 1h 36m. |
| R16 | [1] N. Sriram Balaji IND · 49 / Evan King USA · 60 | Bye | On-Site Bye | Received an official on-site bye into the quarterfinals as the 1st seeds. |