New Delhi, Feb 22 (.) Top seeds Siddhant Banthia of India and Alexander Donski of Bulgaria clinched the doubles title at the 2026 Delhi Open, saving a match point to defeat the second-seeded pair of Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha and Pruchya Isaro in a gripping final at the DLTA Complex on Saturday.
Banthia and Donski lost the opening set 4-6 but bounced back to take the second set by an identical margin, forcing a match tie-break. In a tense decider, both pairs saved a match point each at 10-10 before the top seeds prevailed 12-10 to seal a 4-6, 6-4, 12-10 victory.
The win marked Banthia’s second ATP Challenger doubles title, both alongside Donski, while the Bulgarian secured his third Challenger doubles crown.
“It was a great performance. They played very well. They showed a really high level and brought out the best in us. I’m grateful to my partner for being with me the whole week. We had good energy and chemistry, and now we’re looking forward to the next tournament in Pune,” Donski said after the win.
Banthia credited their partnership and composure under pressure. “I trust in Alex as much as he does in me, and that was the key to staying together. We knew the match would be tough, and I thought we were exceptional at crucial moments,” he said.
The winning pair earned 75 ATP ranking points and prize money of USD 4,980, while runners-up Poonacha and Isaro collected 50 points and USD 2,880.
Earlier in the semi-finals, Banthia and Donski defeated Jay Clarke and Michael Geerts 7-6(6), 7-6(3), while Poonacha and Isaro beat JiSung Nam and Patrik Niklas-Salminen 7-6(3), 6-4.
This is the third time an Indian player has won the doubles title at the Delhi Open. Saketh Myneni and Sanam Singh won in 2015, followed by Yuki Bhambri and Mahesh Bhupathi in 2016.
In singles, Somdev Devvarman remains the only Indian champion, having won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015.
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