In a season of fluctuating fortunes for Indian tennis, the Hyogo Noah Challenger in Kobe delivered one of the most compelling doubles stories of 2025.
India’s Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha and Thailand’s Pruchya Isaro an unseeded Indo-Thai duo produced a gritty, sustained run to reach the final of the ATP Challenger 75 event, ultimately finishing runners-up after an intense three-set thriller that stretched close to three hours.
Their journey, however, was worth far more than the silver medal. It signalled the arrival of a partnership capable of becoming a consistent force on the Challenger Tour.
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The final in Kobe was tennis drama at its finest. Facing the second-seeded pair of Neil Oberleitner (Austria) and Michael Vrbensky (Czechia), Poonacha and Isaro pushed the established pair to the absolute limit. The match finished 7-6(1), 6-7, [10-4], with both regulation sets decided by tie-breaks.
The Indo-Thai duo matched their higher-ranked opponents shot for shot through the first two sets. The only difference came in the pressure moments: Oberleitner and Vrbensky played the tie-breaks like seasoned specialists, dominating the first 7-1 and sealing the match with a 10-4 sprint in the deciding super tie-break.
Despite the loss, the final proved something essential that Poonacha and Isaro now belong in the company of top Challenger teams.
44 Ranking Points and a Season-Changing Boost
For players ranked in the 150–200 bracket, every deep run matters. By finishing runners-up at a Challenger 75, both players earned 44 ATP doubles points, a significant number at this level.
To understand its impact:
- For Poonacha, ranked 154 coming in, those 44 points represent nearly a 15% jump in his ranking total pushing him closer to the Top 120, a threshold that typically guarantees entry into higher-tier Challengers and increases the chances of Grand Slam qualifying spots.
- For Isaro, ranked 165 and rebounding after hitting a career-high 131 earlier in 2025, the points bring crucial stability and momentum heading into the 2026 season.
Financially, the team also earned $8,330, valuable support in a sport where travel and coaching costs often weigh heavily on players outside the Top 100.
Their Path to the Final: Built on Resilience
Poonacha and Isaro’s week in Kobe was filled with tight matches that demanded mental strength. Their route to the final read like a test of nerve at every stage.
Round of 16: They defeated Japan’s Imamura/Uchida in a high-pressure battle, 7-5, 4-6, [10-5]. Winning a super tie-break in the opening round gave them early confidence.
Quarterfinals: They beat local wildcards Ichikawa/Matsuda, 6-2, 7-6(6), taking the second-set tie-break on their second set point.
Semifinals: Their best performance of the week came against the Chinese Taipei duo Hsu/Huang—straight-sets, 7-5, 6-3. They dominated the return games, winning 30 return points compared to their opponents’ 12, a decisive edge that showed how well they were reading serves indoors.
By the time they reached the final, Poonacha and Isaro had already played multiple tense moments and come through all of them. But the load of high-pressure minutes also meant they entered the final with more physical and mental mileage than their opponents.
Oberleitner and Vrbensky: The Benchmark They Must Chase
The second seeds were always going to be the toughest challenge. Oberleitner is a Top 100 doubles player, while Vrbensky, though mostly a singles competitor, has built a reliable doubles unit with him. Crucially, they reached the final without dropping a set, saving all six break points they faced across their matches. They were fresher, more clinical, and ruthless in clutch moments qualities that ultimately made the difference in the final.
For Poonacha and Isaro, the match showed the difference between competing with top-100 teams and beating them. The margins are small but the lessons are big. This was not the first time the duo showed promise. They reached the quarterfinals at the Zhangjiagang Challenger earlier in the season, and their Kobe campaign strengthens the case for a long-term partnership.
Their styles complement each other:
- Poonacha brings big serving, athletic baseline power, and improved doubles instincts developed over a year of dedicated doubles focus.
- Isaro contributes sharp net play, court craft, and big-match experience through Challenger titles in Bangkok, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.
Together, they form a pairing with real upward potential.
If there was one takeaway from Kobe, it was this: Poonacha and Isaro must sharpen their execution in tie-breaks. Both tie-break defeats in the final were one-way traffic, a contrast to how competitive they were in the longer stretches of the match.
That more than any technical weakness is the final barrier between them and the ATP Top 100.
The blueprint ahead is clear: target Challenger 100s and 125s in early 2026, maintain the partnership, and build the consistency required to win titles not just reach finals.
For now, Kobe marks a breakthrough. Their run was not just a result it was a statement that Asian doubles teams can compete with Europe’s best. And for Indian tennis, it adds one more promising storyline heading into a decisive new season.
