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Felix Gill, Federico Cina Storm Into Maha Open ATP Challenger 75 Final

Felix Gill of Great Britain and Federico Cina of Italy have advanced to the men's singles final of the Maha Open ATP Challenger 75 in Pune. Gill displayed grit to overcome eighth seed Edas Butvilas in a tightly contested two-set match. Cina was equally impressive, outplaying Duje Ajdukovic in straight sets to secure his final berth. In the doubles final, the fourth-seeded pair of Jisung Nam and Patrik Niklas-Salminen captured the title.

Key Points: Maha Open ATP Challenger 75: Gill, Cina Reach Singles Final

  • Felix Gill beats Edas Butvilas in semifinal
  • Federico Cina defeats Duje Ajdukovic
  • Nam & Niklas-Salminen win doubles title
  • Tournament organized by MSLTA & Govt. of Maharashtra
2 min read

Maha Open ATP Challenger 75: Gill, Cina storm into men's singles final

Felix Gill and Federico Cina advance to the men's singles final at the Maha Open ATP Challenger 75 in Pune with straight-set semifinal wins.

"Gill held his nerve in crucial moments, breaking at decisive junctures in both sets to seal his place in the final."

Pune, Feb 28

Felix Gill of Great Britain will take on 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 semifinal victories at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium of the Shiv Chhatrapati Kreeda Sankul in Pune.

In the singles semifinals, Felix Gill of Great Britain displayed grit and composure to overcome eighth seed Edas Butvilas of Lithuania 6-4, 7-5 in a tightly contested encounter 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 held his nerve in crucial moments, breaking at decisive junctures in both sets to seal his place in the final. Sixth seed and former world number four junior Federico Cina of Italy was equally impressive as he outplayed Duje Ajdukovic of Croatia 7-5, 6-2 in 1 hour and 15 minutes. After edging a closely fought first set, Cina raised his intensity in the second, dictating rallies from the baseline to close out the match in straight sets. Nam.

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 capture 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 (semifinal):

Felix Gill (Gbr) bt Edas Butvilas[8](Ltu) 6-4, 7-5 (1hour 44minutes)

Federico Cina [6](Ita) bt Duje Ajdukovic (Cro) 7-5, 6-2; (1hour 15minutes)

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.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
A bit disappointed that no Indian made it to the singles final, but the level of competition was high. Our player Niki Poonacha put up a good fight in the doubles final, losing in a super tie-break. Tough luck! We need to support our young talents more.
A
Aman W
Felix Gill showed real grit! Winning those tight sets against a seeded player is impressive. The tournament organization seems top-notch with all those associations involved. Makes me proud as a Punekar. 🎾
S
Sarah B
As a tennis fan living in India, it's wonderful to have these Challenger events here. They give our players crucial ranking points and exposure. Federico Cina's performance was clinical. Hope the finals are a cracker!
V
Vikram M
Respectful criticism: The article is very detailed about the organizers and sponsors (which is good), but it could have given a bit more background on the players, especially for Indian audiences who may not know them. Just a suggestion for future coverage.
K
Karthik V
The Indo-Thai pair reaching the doubles final is a positive sign for Asian tennis collaboration. Even in defeat, they earned good ranking points. Let's build on this. Jai Hind!

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