The Pune Challenger could not have gone better for the home contingent. Three of the four semi-finalists hailed from the host country, with only 2nd seed Adrian Menendez-Maceiras making up the foreign quota.
That lone foreign challenge rapidly faded as 3rd seed Yuki Bhambri took down the Spaniard 6-2, 6-4 to the delight of the home crowd.
In the other semi-final, that feature two home players, 4th seed Ramukumar Ramanathan came out the winner. Ramanathan defeated compatriot Saketh Myneni 6-3, 6-2 to advance to third Challenger final of the season.
Incredibly, it is the first time since July that Ramanathan has won back-to-back matches, His run to the final also snaps a four match losing streak. Ramanathan is just four places below his career-high ranking of No.146, so winning the title would likely move into a new career-high ranking somewhere in the region No.135.
Ramanathan and Bhambri share a 1-1 career head-to head record. However, Bhambri thrashed Ramanathan in their most recent meeting this year in Chennai. Bhambri dropped just two games in a 6-1, 6-1 win.
Better late than never as the all-Indian final means the country will have a singles Challenger winner for the first time this year, with just a week left on the 2017 Challenger calendar.
