Marathon match in second day of Bahrain Open Tennis Challenger

The fifth edition of the Bahrain Open ATP Challenger continued for a second day at the Police Officers Club courts, drawing strong attendance and lively interaction that reflected the tournament’s growing popularity and its rising profile on the regional and international tennis map, with the participation of a select group of world-ranked players.
Day two featured high standards and closely contested matches, headlined by a marathon clash between China’s Zhizhen Zhang and Finland’s Otto Virtanen, which proved to be one of the most thrilling encounters of the tournament so far. Zhang delivered an impressive performance before narrowly falling to Virtanen in three sets, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, in a match that lasted nearly three hours and showcased intense physical and mental battles.
Zhang, who ranked 31st in the world in 2024, claimed the opening set with consistent play, capitalising on his accurate groundstrokes and baseline stability. The second set was evenly matched and decided by a tiebreak in Virtanen’s favour. The decisive third set reached a fever pitch until the final moments, before being settled once again by a tiebreak, amid warm applause from the crowd praising the high level displayed by both players, particularly Zhang’s standout performance despite the loss.
In other singles matches, Ukraine’s Vadym Ursu recorded a convincing straight-sets win over Kazakhstan’s Beibit Zhukayev (6-3, 6-0), while Bulgaria’s Dimitar Kuzmanov rallied to defeat Uzbekistan’s Sergey Fomin (1-6, 6-3, 6-1). Lithuania’s Edas Butvilas edged Turkey’s Mert Alkaya in a tough three-set contest (6-4, 1-6, 7-6), and Slovenia’s Lukas Pokorny beat Austria’s Neil Oberleitner (6-3, 6-3).
India’s Manas Dhamne overcame Norway’s Viktor Durasovic (6-3, 4-6, 7-6), Argentina’s Thiago Tirante defeated France’s Geoffrey Blancaneaux (6-3, 6-3), and Hong Kong’s Coleman Wong got the better of Britain’s Ryan Peniston (6-2, 6-3). Italy’s Lorenzo Giustino claimed a hard-fought victory over Austria’s Filip Misolic in a match lasting more than two hours, winning 7-6, 7-6.
France’s Kyrian Jacquet defeated Australia’s Christopher O’Connell (6-3, 6-1), Turkey’s Yanki Erel beat Czech Hynek Barton (6-2, 7-5), and Britain’s Jacob Fearnley concluded the singles programme with a straight-sets win over Austria’s Lukas Neumayer (6-3, 7-6).
In doubles action, the Polish-Slovenian pairing of Karol Drzewiecki and Lukas Pokorny secured an exciting victory (6-2, 6-4, 10-7), while Mexico’s Rodrigo Mendez and Argentina’s Thiago Tirante defeated Romania’s Victor Cornea and Croatia’s Nino Serdarušić in tightly contested encounters decided by decisive tie-breaks (12-10, 6-3, 7-6).
The Bahrain Open Tennis Challenger continues in the coming days, with fans anticipating more exciting matches and encounters in a tournament that continues to demonstrate its organisational and technical success while delivering top-tier tennis action.