Maharashtra Open Final: Indian duo Rohan Bopanna and Ramkumar Ramanathan will be eyeing their second ATP title, as they face Australia’s John Patrick Smith and Luke Saville in the men’s doubles final of the Tata Open Maharashtra at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune on Sunday. In the men’s singles, sixth seed Emil Ruusuvuori will face unseeded Joao Sousa in the summit clash. Follow InsideSport.IN for more updates.
Bopanna and Ramanathan had a good run in the tournament and enters the final after a thrilling win over French pair Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul. The Indian pair won the first set but went down in the second. They however made a sensational comeback in the tie-breaker to wrap up the match 6-4, 4-6, 12-10.
Maharashtra Open Final: Bopanna – Ramanathan pair eye second ATP title, Joao Sousa to face Emil Ruusuvuori in final
What an incredible exhibition of Doubles Tennis! 😍
In the end, @rohanbopanna and @ramkumar1994 hold their nerve and make it to the summit clash! 🔥#AdvantagePune #ATPTour #ATP #Tennis | @msltatennis @TataCompanies @atptour pic.twitter.com/uDN3KQwDrS
— Tata Open Maharashtra (@MaharashtraOpen) February 5, 2022
Maharashtra Open Final: Bopanna – Ramanathan pair eye second ATP title, Joao Sousa to face Emil Ruusuvuori in final
The Indian duo started the year on a positive note by winning their first ATP title in the Adelaide International last month. They then entered this tournament as the second seed and continued the good run. They faced American duo of Nicholas Monroe and James Cerratani in the first round and won the game in the third set. They then played Alexander Erler and Jiri Vesely in the quarter-final. Both their sets went into the tie-breaker but the Indian pair held their nerves and won the game in straight sets.
Meanwhile, their opponent, the top-seeded Australian duo of Luke Saville and John-Patrick Smith had a relatively esy outing in this tournament. They dropped just one set in the tournament against India’s Saketh Myneni and Sasikumar Mukund in the quarter-final. In the semi-final they defeated another Indian duo Vishnu Vardhan and Sriram Balaji 6-2, 6-4.
Maharashtra Open Final: Bopanna – Ramanathan pair eye second ATP title, Joao Sousa to face Emil Ruusuvuori in final
Sousa vs Ruusuvuori LIVE:
Portugal’s Joao Sousa enters the final after ending Elias Ymer’s sensational run at the tournament. Sousa fought back from a set down to win the nail-biting semi-final 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5.
Sousa didn’t had a smooth run in the tournament as he had to fight hard to snatch victories. He had to play three three-setters in his four rounds and everytime he came from behind to clinch victories, showcasing exceptional fighting spirit.
Maharashtra Open Final: Bopanna – Ramanathan pair eye second ATP title, Joao Sousa to face Emil Ruusuvuori in final
The emotions say it all, for @joaosousa30 👏pic.twitter.com/Uq9ljDEPse#TataOpenMaharashtra #AdvantagePune #ATPTour #ATP #Tennis | @msltatennis @TataCompanies @atptour
— Tata Open Maharashtra (@MaharashtraOpen) February 5, 2022
Maharashtra Open Final: Bopanna – Ramanathan pair eye second ATP title, Joao Sousa to face Emil Ruusuvuori in final
Meanwhile, Ruusuvuori held his nerve during the crucial second-set tie-breaker to secure a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 (7-0) victory against Kamil Majchrzak and seal his berth in the final. Ruusuvuori enjoyed a smooth run in the tournament, having won all his four games in straight sets. He will look to dominate his opponent once more to clinch his first ATP Singles title.
Sousa vs Ruusuvuori Head-to-Head: Both the players will be facing each other for the first time in their career. While Ruusuvuori enters the tournament as a favourite, his opponent has experience on his side and has shown a good fight in all his games to reach the final. He has the mental strength to comeback from a set down and can once again put up a good fight. One can expect a gruelling contest in the final.
Maharashtra Open Final: Bopanna – Ramanathan pair eye second ATP title, Joao Sousa to face Emil Ruusuvuori in final