Siddhant Banthia of India and Alexander Donski from Bulgaria won the men’s doubles title at the Rwanda Challenger 2025 in Kigali, defeating Geoffrey Blancaneaux and Zdenek Kolar. This victory represents their first ATP Challenger title as a team. In the tournament, Banthia and Donski advanced through tough matches, while fellow Indian player Niki Poonacha faced early exit.
India’s Siddhant Banthia and Bulgaria’s Alexander Donski triumphed in the men’s doubles event at the Rwanda Challenger 2025 tournament held in Kigali on Saturday. The fourth-seeded duo secured a thrilling victory against third seeds Geoffrey Blancaneaux from France and Zdenek Kolar from Czechia, with a score of 6-4, 5-7, 10-8. This match marked the first ATP Challenger title for both Banthia and Donski as a team.
The final was characterized by tightly contested play. After both teams held serve through the initial eight games, Banthia and Donski made a crucial break in the ninth game, allowing them to serve out the first set without dropping a point. The second set mirrored this competitive spirit, culminating in a pivotal break by Blancaneaux and Kolar in the 12th game, thus sending the match into a super tiebreak.
During the super tiebreak, Banthia and Donski initially led 6-4 before facing a brief setback as their opponents moved ahead 8-7. Nonetheless, the Indian-Bulgarian pair rallied back to secure the final three points, concluding the match in one hour and 37 minutes. Over the course of the match, they demonstrated strong performance with seven aces and effectively saved six of the seven breakpoints they faced.
In their journey to the finals, Banthia and Donski overcame wildcard entrants Alafia Ayeni from the USA and Luka Pavlovic from France in the semi-finals with a score of 6-4, 6-3. Meanwhile, India’s Niki Poonacha and Zimbabwe’s Courtney John Lock, seeded at the top, faced a surprising first-round defeat against unseeded French players Corentin Denolly and Clement Tabur.
Siddhant Banthia and Alexander Donski’s victory at the Rwanda Challenger 2025 represents a significant milestone in their sporting careers, marking their first ATP Challenger title together. Their performance throughout the tournament showcased resilience and skill, culminating in a tightly fought final. Despite the disappointment for the top-seeded Indian team, this event highlights the competitive nature of the ATP Challenger circuit and the promising talent emerging in men’s doubles tennis.
Original Source: www.olympics.com
