Kalaburagi Open 2023: Ramkumar Ramanathan clinches title with easy victory

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Indian tennis player Ramkumar Ramanathan secured his third International Tennis Federation (ITF) title in less than two months, emerging victorious at the Ultratech Cement ITF Kalaburagi Open at Chandrashekhar Patil Stadium on Sunday (December 3).

The final was largely one-sided as Ramanathan decisively defeated his Austrian contender David Pichler in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, in under a little over an hour. It was a complete domination from the Indian player who showcased his class.

Ramanathan was awarded the winner's cheque of USD 3200 and garnered 25 crucial ATP points. His opponent, Pichler, walked away with USD 2120 and 16 ATP points.

"It feels great to win back-to-back titles. My game is coming along good. I did play some of my best tennis in these last two weeks. The courts here didn't suit my game initially, but I adapted to them very quickly," said Ramkumar after the victory.

Ramkumar Ramanathan vs David Pichler Final - How it Happened

Ramanathan, playing in front of a packed home stadium, was evidently boosted in morale even before he began his serve. After the first five games, wherein both players maintained their serve, Ramanathan broke David's serve in the 6th game. He didn't look back from there, delivering a series of impressive winners to secure the remainder of the games and clinch the set 6-2.

The second set saw Pichler attempting a comeback as he held his serve, losing only one point. However, Ramanathan had other plans. Displaying remarkable tenacity, he compelled Pichler to make errors while he himself delivered a series of cross court winners that elicited enthusiastic cheers from the audience. Ramanathan faced a challenging 5th game where he struggled to maintain his serve against Pichler's down-the-line winners. Despite this, he managed to break in the 4th and 6th games. Concluding with an ace, Ramanathan defeated his opponent 6-1, thereby winning the prestigious title.