Chile Open 2020: Divij Sharan aces tiebreakers, enters doubles quarterfinals with Kiwi partner Artem Sitak

What's the story?

Divij Sharan and Artem Sitak stormed into the doubles quarterfinals of the ongoing Chile Open 2020 by defeating the Brazilian duo of Thiago Monteiro and Fernando Romboli in straight sets.

The background

Marcelo Demoliner and Matwé Middelkoop are the top seeds while Marcelo Arévalo and Jonny O'Mara are seeded second at this ATP 250 event.

Sharan and Sitak are looking to kick-start their clay season in style, after having played on the hardcourts of Delray Beach last week. The duo is seeded third at the 2020 Chile Open.

Artem Sitak

The heart of the matter

Sharan and Sitak faced a stern test in their opening clash of the Chile Open. They were up against a spirited Monteiro and Romboli, and the unseeded pair gave the Indo-Kiwi duo a run for their money.

Sharan and Sitak looked shaky in the beginning and did not get off to the ideal start. The Brazilians came close to breaking them in the first and third games, but the Indo-Kiwi pair kept their cool to save two break points and eventually hold.

They had to dig deep into their reserves to win the first set in the tiebreaker. But the Brazilian duo would not go away, and they took the second set down to the wire too.

Thiago Monteiro

After some rapidfire exchanges, Sharan-Sitak eventually won the match 7-6(5), 7-6(2) in an exhausting one hour and 40 minutes.

What's next?

Sharan and Sitak will now go up against the Spanish pair of Roberto Carballés Baena and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarterfinals. They will look to build on the good start that they have got with their first round win.

In case they manage to subdue the Spaniards, they will likely lock horns with the top seeds Marcelo Demoliner and Matwé Middelkoop in the semifinals.