Second straight runner-up finish for Prajnesh

Indian tennis player Prajnesh Gunneswaran finish runner-up at the Orlando Open, losing the summit clash of the ATP Challenger event to American Brandon Nakashima, in Orlando.

Prajnesh did not have the required power in his strokes to hurt the American, losing 3-6, 4-6 in the US$ 52,080 hard court tournament on Sunday.

The Indian left-hander could convert none of the eight break chances that came his way in an hour and 28 minute contest.

It is Prajnesh's second straight runner-up finish. He had reached the final at the Cary Challenger last week.

The result helped Prajnesh rise nine places in the ATP rankings to 128. He has already locked the India number one rank with his Orlando show.    

Serving at 2-3, 30-all, Prajnesh buried a forehand to the net to be down a break point but saved it with an ace.

Another forehand error by Prajnesh gave Nakaksima another chance but the Indian saved that too with a well set-up winner.

However, Nakashima's strong ground-strokes brought him another chance and this time Prajnesh could not save, sending a backhand over the baseline.

An easy hold put the American ahead 5-2. He returned to serve out the set without any fuss.

In the third game of the second set, Prajnesh dropped serve and squandered two break chances in the next game to let 19-year-old Nakashima run away with his maiden Challenger level singles trophy.

Koolhof-Mektic win ATP Finals doubles title

Dutch-Croatian duo Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic claimed their first title together by winning the ATP Finals on Sunday, edging Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-2 3-6 10-5.

The fifth seeds, in their maiden season together, had lost in their other two finals, including at the U.S. Open, but it proved a case of third time lucky.

"It was a dream come true just to have qualified here for this event," Koolhof, the fourth Dutchman to win the doubles title at the season-ender, said.

"It's our first title together. Not bad for a first one," Mektic said.

Austrian Melzer, a former top-10 singles player who is retiring, had hoped to end his career on a high.

"It was a hell of a ride," the 39-year-old said. "We have been fighting hard since Roland Garros, played almost every week to get here. It stings today, and it hurts, but in the end we're going to look back at being runners-up here."