Tennis: Ramkumar-Anirudh win Lexington Challenger doubles title

Indian tennis players Ramkumar Ramanathan and Anirudh Chandrasekar wrapped up an impressive campaign in the USA by capturing the men’s doubles title at the Lexington Open 2025, part of the ATP Challenger Tour. The tournament was held in Kentucky, and the final took place on Saturday.

Seeded second, the all-Indian pair defeated the Chinese Taipei duo of Yu Hsiou Hsu and Ray Ho Huang in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, to claim the championship.

Ramkumar and Anirudh displayed consistency and control throughout the match, not dropping a single service game. With a single break of serve in each set, they wrapped up the contest in just 68 minutes.

While this victory marks Ramkumar’s 11th ATP Challenger doubles title, it is his first alongside Anirudh, who himself picked up his eighth Challenger trophy with this win.

Ramkumar, a seasoned doubles player, also won silver in men’s doubles at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou with Saketh Myneni and holds two ATP 250 titles, both won in 2022 with veteran Rohan Bopanna.

The Indian duo had a smooth journey through the Lexington draw. They opened with a 6‑3, 6‑2 win over Colombians Nicolas Mejia and Cristian Rodriguez. In the quarterfinals, they outplayed American wildcards Zachary Fuchs and Wally Thayne 7‑6(5), 6‑3.

Their toughest test came in the semi-finals against Pranav Kumar of the USA and Kody Pearson from Australia. After splitting the first two sets, the Indians held their nerve in the match tiebreak, winning 7‑6(3), 4‑6, 10‑3 to reach the final.

The Lexington Open crown adds another significant milestone to both players’ careers, especially as they look to build momentum on the Challenger circuit.