The 2025-26 SDA men’s cache_seven challenger season kicked off in style Monday night at the R&TC Challenger hosted by The Racquet & Tennis Club. Adham Madi and Marwan Tarek, competing together for the first time, edged out Canadian duo George Crowne and William Kuhn in a dramatic four-game final.
Madi and Tarek became the first all-Egyptian duo to capture an SDA ranking title. Tarek, a Harvard alum and the 2018 British Open Junior champion, made his doubles debut at this tournament and will be a player to watch in the coming season. In the quarterfinals, the Egyptian pair trailed 12-9 in the fifth game against Rahul Sehrawat and James Wyatt, Madi’s former teammates at Columbia, but fought back to secure the win. Madi/Tarek carried that momentum into a semifinal victory over second seeds Yash Bhargava and Aghishek Agarwal.
Crowne and Kuhn also had to battle hard to reach the final, surviving a five-game quarterfinal and a tense semifinal against top seeds Chris Walker and James Kacergis.
The final was closer than the scoreline suggests, with Tarek taking full advantage of the legendary high ceilings at the Racquet & Tennis Club, while Madi executed a steady stream of winners. Crowne and Kuhn captured the second game, but ultimately, Madi and Tarek prevailed.
The SDA Pro Tour now heads to Minnesota for the Securian Financial Minnesota Open, the first top-tier men’s event of the season.