Pune, February 28 – Felix Gill of Great Britain will face young Italian Federico Cina in the singles final of the Maha Open ATP Challenger 75 Men’s Tennis Championship, as they advanced to the title clash with commanding semi-final victories at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium of the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune.
In the singles semi-finals, Felix Gill of Great Britain displayed grit and composure to defeat eighth seed Edas Butvilas of Lithuania 6-4, 7-5 in a closely contested match in the prestigious tournament, which is being organised by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in association with the Department of Sports and Youth Services, Government of Maharashtra, PCMC, PMC, and PMDTA, and is sponsored by the Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA).
Gill remained calm in crucial moments, breaking at decisive points in both sets to secure his place in the final. Sixth seed and former world number four junior Federico Cina of Italy was equally impressive as he defeated Duje Ajdukovic of Croatia 7-5, 6-2 in 1 hour and 15 minutes. After winning a closely contested first set, Cina increased his intensity in the second, dictating rallies from the baseline to close out the match in straight sets.
In the doubles final, fourth-seeded Jisung Nam of Korea and Patrik Niklas-Salminen of Finland upset second-seeded Indo-Thai pair of Pruchya Isaro and Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha to win the doubles title with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-7(1), 10-7 victory. The doubles champions received the trophy, USD 4,980, and 75 ATP ranking points, while the runner-up pair was awarded the trophy, USD 2,880, and 50 ATP ranking points.
The prizes were presented by Shravan Hardikar (IAS), MD of MMRDA, Sunder Iyer, Hon. Secretary, MSLTA, Rajiv Desai, Jt Secretary of MSLTA, and ATP Supervisor Rogerio Santos. Leena Nageshkar were present on the occasion.
Results:
Men’s singles (semi-final):
Felix Gill (Gbr) bt Edas Butvilas[8](Ltu) 6-4, 7-5 (1 hour 44 minutes)
Federico Cina [6](Ita) bt Duje Ajdukovic (Cro) 7-5, 6-2; (1 hour 15 minutes)
Doubles (final):
Jisung Nam (Kor) Patrik Niklas-Salminen [4](Fin) bt Pruchya Isaro (Tha) Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha [2](Ind) 6-4, 6-7(1), 10-7.
