Indian tennis players Arjun Kadhe and Rithvik Bollipalli secured a remarkable victory at the Almaty Open 2024 ATP 250 doubles tournament, winning their maiden ATP title in a thrilling final in Kazakhstan. The duo showed immense resilience, bouncing back from a set down to defeat Colombia’s Nicolás Barrientos and Tunisia’s Skander Mansouri 3-6, 7-6(3), [14-12] on Sunday (October 20).
This victory not only brought them their first major title but also a significant prize of $54,780 and 250 ATP ranking points, propelling both players into the top 100 in the doubles rankings.
Arjun Kadhe and Rithvik Bollipalli’s path to the final was a reflection of their teamwork and perseverance. After overcoming Italy’s Marco Bortolotti and Finland’s Patrik Niklas-Salminen in the opening round, the Indian pair caused an upset by defeating the second-seeded French duo Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, they secured a 7-6(6), 6-3 victory over Jakob Schnaitter and Mark Wallner, which set the stage for their final showdown.
In the final, Kadhe and Bollipalli were pushed to the limit. After losing the first set, they fought back to win the second in a tense tie-breaker, leveling the match. The super tie-break saw them save five match points before clinching the title after one hour and 41 minutes of intense action.
Sriram Balaji suffered a semi-final exit at Almaty Open 2024
While Kadhe and Bollipalli triumphed in the final, another Indian, N. Sriram Balaji, teamed up with Argentina’s Guido Andreozzi, reaching the semi-finals of the Almaty Open.
The fourth-seeded duo performed admirably, particularly in the quarter-finals, where they secured a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Kazakhstan’s Timofey Skatov and Alexander Shevchenko. Balaji and Andreozzi’s solid performance helped them advance to the semi-finals.
The fourth-seeded duo put up a strong fight but were ultimately ousted by the eventual runners-up, Barrientos and Mansouri, in a 7-5, 6-2 defeat in the semi-finals.
For their efforts, Balaji and Andreozzi earned $17,180 as semi-finalists. Despite not reaching the final, their run in the tournament showcased their skill and competitiveness.
Almaty Open 2024 Prize Money Breakdown
Arjun Kadhe and Rithvik Bollipalli: $54,780 (Champions) + 250 ATP points.
N. Sriram Balaji and Guido Andreozzi: $17,180 (Semi-finalists).
Nicolás Barrientos and Skander Mansouri: $29,310 (Runners-up) + 150 ATP points.
