PUNE: Indian pair of N Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan pulled off one of the major upsets of the fifth edition of Tata Open Maharashtra, second seeded American duo of Jackson Withrow and Nathaniel Lammons 7-6(6) 7-6(5) in the doubles quarter-finals on Thursday.
Balaji and Jeevan, who entered the tournament as an alternative entry, put up a sensational show in both the sets which saw close competition before they downed world no.49 Withrow and world No. 46 Lammons.
Balaji and Jeeven ended 2022 with six successive semi-finals appearances at the Challenger events.
Later tonight, India's Ramkumar Ramanathan will be in action in the doubles quarterfinals along with Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela. The duo will face challenge from top-seeded pair of Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury.
Meanwhile, 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic pulled out of the singles event after suffering a knee injury.
The ongoing edition of South Asia's only ATP 250 event is being conducted by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in association with the Government of Maharashtra for the fifth year in Pune.
In the other singles quarterfinal, no. 8 Aslan Karatsev pulled off a dominating 6-1 6-2 victory against world no 63 Pedro Martinez.
