New Delhi: Indian doubles pair of Ramkumar Ramanathan and Purav Raja sailed into the semi-finals of the men's doubles at the Tata Open by beating the Indian Australian duo of Leander Paes and Matthew Ebden in Pune. Ramanathan-Raja made easy work of their opponents Paes-Ebden by defeating them in straight sets with the scoreline reading 6-2, 6-1 .


Leander, India's most seasoned campaigner in men's doubles was not at his best and his Australian partner had no answer to the clinical and precise shot making of Ramanathan and Raja. After conceding the first set rather tamely, Leander and Ebden were no match to the Indian pair in the second as they wrapped up the match in quick time winning the set 6-1.

Ramanathan and Raja were on top form as they played with flair. Paes showed glimpses of his brilliance with a couple of exquisite and precise volleys but could not do much to deny the all-Indian pair who wrapped up the second set and the match in quick time.

Earlier in the day, the Indian challenge in singles ended as Prajnesh Gunneswaran lost to Soon Woon Kwon and went down fighting despite a spirited performance.

Ramanathan and Raja will now face the duo of Jonathan Erlich/ Andrei Vasilevski in the semifinals. They are the only Indian representation left in this ATP 250 tournament and it remains to be seen if they can go on to win a title on home soil.