ITF Mandya Open: Indian Pair lifts doubles title, out in the Singles

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The Indian contenders' journey in the PET ITF Mandya Open came to a halt during the men's singles semifinals, as the nation's hopes were dashed with the exits of Karan Singh and Siddharth Vishwakarma.

Karan Singh's campaign was upended by Jelle Sels from the Netherlands with scores of 1-6, 4-6, while Siddharth Vishwakarma succumbed in a tightly contested match to Israel's third-seed Orel Kimhi, with final tallies of 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, at the prestigious PET Stadium.

Indian pair's Triumph in Doubles

However, the tournament wasn't without its share of triumph for the Indian contingent. After previously finishing as runners-up twice in doubles, the all-Indian pair of Manish Sureshkumar and Parikshit Somani finally struck gold. They overcame an initial setback to claim the doubles title, besting the team of Woobin Shin from Korea and India's own Karan Singh in a nail-biting finale, with scores of 4-6, 6-1, 10-8.

Mandya Open Singles Semifinal Showdowns

The first semifinal saw Karan Singh adopt an offensive stance from the onset, a strategy that ultimately proved to be his undoing as he conceded his serve early on. Although he managed to break back in the subsequent game, Singh was unable to maintain his form, leading to a swift 6-1 first set defeat. The Indian started the second set with vigor, but a series of unforced errors allowed Sels, a former world number 127, to climb back and secure the victory in a brief 70-minute encounter.

Conversely, in the second semifinal, National Games champion Siddharth Vishwakarma burst out of the gates, breaking serves and dominating with powerful forehands. He quickly surged to a 6-2 set lead.

However, the Israeli competitor, Kimhi, found his rhythm in the second set, recovering from a deficit to even the score and eventually clinching the set. The decisive set saw both competitors hold serve until Kimhi secured a pivotal break, eventually serving out the match after a protracted battle lasting 2 hours and 29 minutes.

ITF Mandya Open Result

Singles (Semifinals)

Jelle Sels (NED) bt Karan Singh 6-1, 6-4

Orel Kimhi (ISR) bt Siddharth Vishwakarma 2-6, 7-5, 6-4

Jelle Sels will be up against Orel Kimhi in the Singles Final on Sunday.

Doubles (Final)

4-Parikshit Somani/Manish Sureshkumar bt Woobin Shin (KOR)/Karan Singh 4-6, 6-1, 10-8.

(with inputs from agency)