In New Delhi, Great Britain‘s Oliver Crawford stunned competitors by advancing to the men’s singles semifinals at the 2026 ATP Delhi Open, where he will face Japan‘s second seed Rei Sakamoto. The tournament is taking place at the DLTA Complex from February 16 to 22, featuring 32 singles players competing for the prestigious ATP Challenger 75 title.
Key Matches Propel Top Seeds Forward
Sakamoto, who boasts a former junior World No. 1 ranking and secured the 2024 Australian Open boys’ singles championship, overcame sixth seed Federico Cina of Italy in a hard-fought three-set match, winning 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-2. Crawford reached the semifinals after a dramatic all-British encounter with Jay Clarke, rallying from a set down to prevail 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, notably saving a match point late in the second set.
Jay is one of my good mates. We have played for the same country, so we spent a decent amount of time travelling around, seeing the tournaments and practising together, so I knew it was going to be a battle,
Crawford said after the win.
Other Semifinalists and Doubles Competition Advance
The other singles semifinal will feature Greece’s Stefanos Sakellaridis and Great Britain’s Felix Gill. Sakellaridis dominated eighth seed Rio Noguchi of Japan 6-0, 6-3, while Gill prevailed in three sets against Belgium’s Michael Geerts with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 scoreline.
In doubles, top seeds Siddhanth Banthia of India and Alexander Donski of Bulgaria maintained their strong form by defeating wildcard entrants Divij Sharan and Karan Singh 6-3, 6-4. Meanwhile, second seeds Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha (India) and Pruchya Isaro (Thailand), winners of last week’s Chennai Open ATP Challenger, continued their winning streak, comfortably beating Switzerland’s Luca Castelnuovo and Japan’s Rio Noguchi 6-2, 6-2.
Significance and What Lies Ahead
Oliver Crawford’s unexpected progression to the semifinals marks a significant moment in his career, exposing emerging talent on the ATP Challenger circuit. With Crawford set to face the experienced Sakamoto, the matchup promises a thrilling contest that could shape the trajectory of both players. The performances of other semifinalists like Sakellaridis and Gill highlight a promising field of contenders eager to claim the title. The doubles competition also remains open, with Indian players in strong contention, energizing the local crowd and raising hopes of a homegrown champion.
