Alcantara, partner ousted Chennai Open doubles tilt

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino tennister Francis Alcantara had an early exit in the Chennai Open ATP Challenger 2024 in India, as he and his partner, Japan's Kaichi Uchida, bowed to Taiwan's Yu Hsiou Hsu and India's Arjun Kadhe, 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday.

After falling behind in the first set, 2-4, the Alcantara-Uchida pair was able to inch closer, 4-3, with a service ace.

Kadhe and Hsu, however, took the eighth game following an error by the Filipino-Japanese duo.

Alcantara and Uchida then salvaged the set with a win. But a dominant showing in the 10th game gave the first set to the Taiwanese-Indian pair.

In the second set, Alcantara and Uchida were able to tie the set up at three games apiece.

Kadhe and Hsu was then able to win the next two sets. The Filipino-Japanese pair blanked their opponents in the ninth game.

Alcantara and Uchida were on the verge of extending the second set, going up 40-30.

However, Kadhe and Hsu would not be denied as a volley by the Indian tennister ended the match.

Alcantara could not replicate his recent win in the M25 Chennai late last month.

There, the 32-year-old Filipino and his Indonesian partner, Christopher Rungkat, defeated Russia's Bogdan Bobrov and Adil Kalyanpur of India, 6-4, 6-2, in the final last January 27.

This then gave Alcantara his new career high in men's doubles' tennis this week.

Alcantara is now ranked 169th among the male tennisters in doubles' play, according to the Association of Tennis Professionals.

He jumped seven spots from the 176th ranking in the last week of January.