Ranzi Sports

Bengaluru, March 2, 2025: American tennis player Brandon Holt secured his second ATP Challenger singles title of the season with a convincing 6-3, 6-3 victory over Japan’s Shintaro Mochizuki in the final of the 2025 DafaNews Bengaluru Open, marking the tournament’s ninth edition, on Sunday. With this triumph, the 26-year-old made history as the first American to win the Bengaluru Open.

Competing in front of a full crowd at the KSLTA Tennis Stadium, third seed Holt, the son of Tennis Hall of Famer Tracy Austin, successfully navigated two break points in the opening game before taking advantage of Mochizuki’s unforced errors to secure an early break. Demonstrating his powerful serve, Holt quickly established a 3-0 lead, breaking Mochizuki again in the sixth game after overcoming a 0-30 deficit to extend his lead to 5-1.

Mochizuki began to find his form towards the end of the first set, breaking Holt in the seventh game without conceding a point and then holding serve with a series of impressive winners. However, Holt, who had previously won the Nonthaburi Challenger earlier this year, responded effectively to Mochizuki’s baseline strategy, charging the net to create two set points and ultimately closing the first set at 6-3. Indian tennis legends Prajnesh Gunneswaran, Somdev Devvarman, and Vishnu Vardhan provided commentary, analyzing the action as the first set concluded after 36 minutes.

The second set mirrored the first, with Holt taking control by breaking Mochizuki twice around a successful service game, quickly establishing a 3-0 lead. Energized by the enthusiastic crowd, Mochizuki fought back, converting one of three break points in the fourth game before holding his serve in the subsequent game.

As the set progressed, the exchanges between the two competitors lengthened, much to the enjoyment of an enthusiastic audience, which erupted in applause when Mochizuki executed a remarkable forehand cross-court winner during the eighth game. However, Holt remained resolute and effectively halted his opponent’s momentum, positioning himself for victory. He broke Mochizuki’s serve once more in the ninth game, ultimately securing the win in one hour and 22 minutes.

With this commanding victory, Holt earned a cash prize of USD 28,400 and 125 valuable ATP points, while Mochizuki received USD 16,700 and 75 points.

The previous day, the top-seeded duo of Anirudh Chandrasekar and Ray Ho triumphed over the second-seeded pair of Blake Bayldon and Matthew Christopher Romios with a score of 6-2, 6-4, thereby claiming the doubles title.