Siddhant Banthia and Alexander Donski won the men’s doubles title at the Rwanda Challenger 2025 in Kigali, defeating Geoffrey Blancaneaux and Zdenek Kolar in a tight match. This victory marks Banthia’s first ATP Challenger title. The finalists demonstrated excellent skill, with Banthia and Donski securing crucial breaks and aces throughout the tournament.
India’s Siddhant Banthia and his Bulgarian teammate Alexander Donski triumphed in the men’s doubles at the Rwanda Challenger 2025 tennis tournament held in Kigali on Saturday. Seeded fourth, the duo emerged victorious against the third-seeded team of Geoffrey Blancaneaux from France and Zdenek Kolar of Czechia with a score of 6-4, 5-7, 10-8, earning their first ATP Challenger title together.
The final was tightly contested, with both teams successfully holding serve for the initial eight games. Banthia and Donski seized the opportunity to break their opponents in the ninth game, allowing them to serve out the first set decisively. The second set mirrored the first, as Blancaneaux-Kolar executed a crucial break in the 12th game, leading to a super tiebreaker.
During the super tiebreaker, Banthia and Donski initially took a 6-4 lead, but their opponents rallied to pull ahead 8-7. Nonetheless, the Indian-Bulgarian pair secured three consecutive points to clinch the match after one hour and 37 minutes.
Throughout the match, Banthia and Donski displayed a strong performance, achieving seven aces and saving six of seven breakpoints against them. In their semifinal match at the ATP Challenger 100 tournament, the duo defeated wildcard entrants Alafia Ayeni from the USA and Luka Pavlovic from France with a score of 6-4, 6-3 after overcoming unseeded players in the earlier rounds.
In contrast, India’s top-seeded Niki Poonacha and Zimbabwean partner Courtney John Lock faced an unexpected defeat in the first round, losing to unseeded French players Corentin Denolly and Clement Tabur.
Siddhant Banthia and Alexander Donski’s victory at the Rwanda Challenger 2025 marks a significant achievement, as it is their first ATP Challenger title. The closely contested final showcased their resilience and skill, particularly in high-pressure moments. Their successful performance in earlier rounds further underscores their capabilities, while the early exit of Niki Poonacha highlights the unpredictable nature of the tournament.
Original Source: www.olympics.com
