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Manas Dhamne's Dream Run Ends in MahaOpen ATP Challenger Quarterfinals

Indian teenager Manas Dhamne's inspiring run at the Maha Open ATP Challenger 75 ended in the quarterfinals with a three-set loss to Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic. Dhamne won the first set and held two match points in the second-set tiebreak but ultimately fell in a tense battle lasting over two hours. In other matches, seeds Edas Butvilas and Federico Cina advanced comfortably, while Felix Gill staged a dramatic comeback from a set down. The doubles final will feature the Indo-Thai pair of Pruchya Isaro and Niki Poonacha after they defeated the third seeds.

Key Points: Manas Dhamne Falls in MahaOpen ATP Challenger 75 Quarterfinals

  • Dhamne squandered two match points
  • Ajdukovic won 2-hour 16-minute battle
  • Butvilas, Gill, Cina reach semifinals
  • Indo-Thai pair advances to doubles final
3 min read

Manas Dhamne's dream run ends at MahaOpen ATP Challenger 75

Indian wildcard Manas Dhamne's impressive run ends in a tight 3-set quarterfinal loss to Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic at the Pune ATP Challenger.

"survived a stern challenge from Indian wildcard Manas Dhamne to register a hard-earned 3-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4 victory - Tournament Release"

Pune Februar, y 27

Local boy and Wildcard entrant Manas Dhamne's sensational run at the Maha Open ATP Challenger 75 Men's Tennis Championship came to an end at the Shiv Chhatrapati Kreeda Sankul, Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium.

The 18-year-old squandered two match points, going down to Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic in a tense battle at the Men's Singles quarterfinals on Friday, according to a release.

Duje Ajdukovic, the 25-year-old, who is currently ranked 346, survived a stern challenge from Indian wildcard Manas Dhamne to register a hard-earned 3-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4 victory in a gripping contest that lasted 2 hours and 16 minutes.

The opening set saw both players engage in fierce baseline exchanges. Ajdukovic struck first with a break in the third game, but Dhamne responded immediately to level at 2-2.

The young Indian raised the tempo in the sixth game, hammering aggressive returns to snatch another break before confidently serving out the set 6-3.

Dhamne continued his momentum in the second set, breaking in the third game for a 2-1 lead. However, Ajdukovic mounted a determined comeback, breaking back in the eighth game to draw level.

With neither player conceding ground, the set was pushed into a tense tie-break. The Croatian held his nerve, edging it 7-6 (8) to restore parity.

In the decider, Ajdukovic came out firing, breaking in the very first game and consolidating with strong serves.

Dhamne fought back bravely with a break in the fourth game to keep his hopes alive. However, Ajdukovic's aggressive shot-making and clutch serving proved to be decisive as he secured another break in the seventh game and closed out the set 6-4 to book his semifinal berth.

Eighth seed Edas Butvilas of Lithuania delivered a composed 6-3, 6-3 win over qualifier Masamichi Imamura of Japan in 1 hour and 21 minutes.

Meanwhile, Britain's Felix Gill scripted a remarkable turnaround to defeat qualifier Maks Kasnikowski of Poland 0-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1 in an exciting battle that lasted 2 hours and 5 minutes.

Sixth seed Federico Cina from Italy was in control during his 6-4, 6-2 victory over Britain's Alastair Gray to confirm his spot in the semifinals.

In doubles semi-final action, the Indo-Thai combination of Pruchya Isaro and second seed Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha outplayed the third-seeded Japanese pair of Yuta Shimizu and Seita Watanabe, winning 7-5, 7-6 (4) to enter the final.

Top seeds Siddhant Banthia and Alexander Donski were upset by the fourth-seeded pairing of Jisung Nam and Patrik Niklas-Salminen in the second semifinal.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Tough luck, but what a performance! He won the first set and was leading in the second. The experience of playing such a tense match will be invaluable. We need more Challenger events in India to give our players this exposure.
A
Aman W
Respect to Ajdukovic for holding his nerve. But man, losing after having match points... that's going to sting for a while. Hope Manas has a good support system to learn from this and come back stronger. The talent is clearly there.
S
Sarah B
Great to see the doubles team doing well! Poonacha and Isaro in the final. We often focus only on singles, but a title here would be a big boost for Indian doubles tennis too.
K
Karthik V
A small critique for the organizers - the article mentions the result but not how many people were there to support him? The home crowd can make a huge difference in these close matches. Hope the stadium was packed for our local star!
N
Nikhil C
This is exactly the kind of tournament our players need. Facing international players, handling pressure situations. Don't be disheartened by the loss, Manas. You've made Pune proud! Onwards and upwards. 💪

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