Yuki Bhambri and Ryan Seggerman became the winners of the Almaty Open-2026 in the doubles category. The tournament's fourth seeds defeated the top-seeded pair of Lucas Miedler and Neil Oberleitner in the final – 7:6 (7:3), 6:7 (1:7), 10:2. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The first two sets went without a noticeable advantage for either pair and ended in tie-breaks. In the decisive super tie-break, Bhambri and Seggerman quickly seized the initiative and gave their opponents only two points.
After the final, Seggerman noted that one of the main factors of success throughout the week was stable play on their own serve.
"The main factor today was the same as it has been all week. We needed to control the games on our serve well. The court and conditions here are perfectly suited to serving players.
Throughout the week we made only one break, and rarely does anyone win a title with such statistics. At the same time, we lost our serve only twice – both times in the semifinal.
There were many tie-breaks and nervous moments, and we managed to save our best tennis for the key episodes. That is what led us to the title," Ryan said during the press conference.
Indeed, Bhambri and Seggerman's path through the draw was full of tie-breaks. In the first round they defeated Sander Gille and Sem Verbeek – 7:5, 7:6 (7:5), then got past Alexander Donski and Filip Peliwo – 7:6 (8:6), 7:6 (7:2). In the semifinal they came back after losing the first set against Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow – 3:6, 7:6 (7:5), 10:6.
Bhambri also highlighted the serve and pressure on return.
"The serve is hugely important, especially in doubles where making a break is extremely difficult, and in these conditions even more so.
I think we did an excellent job of holding our serve and applying pressure throughout the tournament. We returned well, especially today, and felt that we had chances. In the end we managed to use them in the first set and in the super tie-break, which tipped the match in our favor," Yuki noted.
After the final, the tennis players were also asked about a comment by Alexander Bublik, who had previously jokingly divided players into singles players, doubles players and padel players.
"If you can't play singles – you play doubles. If you can't play doubles – you play padel. It's simple."
Seggerman took the Kazakhstani's words with humor.
"I'm glad Bublik put us in the middle, not at the very bottom of this hierarchy. Seriously, these are three different crafts.
Singles and doubles are under the same umbrella of tennis, but each direction is beautiful in its own way. I always get great pleasure from team play, and in tennis that is possible only in doubles. I have no offense at this comment."
Bhambri, in response, noted that he sees no point in comparing tennis and padel.
"These are two absolutely different sports, so I don't even understand the point of comparison. Padel is one thing, tennis is another. However, it is nice to see that the mentioned tennis player himself often plays doubles. We hope that he can be as good in doubles as he is in singles."
Answering a Kursiv correspondent's question about his impressions of Almaty, Seggerman admitted that he spent most of the week between the court and the hotel, but was delighted with the city and the tournament conditions.
"Every evening I went to the sauna and ice bath at the hotel. I simply fell in love with this place. For me it was a real week of wellness and spa.
Almost all the time was spent on the court and the hotel, but I absolutely loved this week. The food and the people here are simply amazing. I could stay here for a long time. I'm glad I reached the final and won the tournament, because it allowed me to stay here longer. Next time, perhaps, I will apply for Kazakhstani citizenship."
Bhambri also called Almaty Open one of the best tournaments in the calendar and noted that players willingly return to Kazakhstan.
"If you ask most players, they will say the same thing. The hotel is magnificent, and almost all the tennis players could be found in the sauna or ice bath in the evening.
This is one of the best tournaments on the tour, and I am happy to return here. Three tournaments were held simultaneously this week, and when I asked Ryan where we were going, he answered without hesitation: 'To Almaty.' We will definitely come here more than once," Yuki concluded.
In the singles final of Almaty Open, Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili and Russian Daniil Medvedev will play.
Recall that Almaty Open is held from October 17 to 25 at the Almaty Arena. The ATP 250 tournament with a prize fund of $1.07 million is being held in the southern capital of Kazakhstan for the third time.