Pune, Mar 1 (IANS) Sixth seed Federico Cina produced a stunning comeback under pressure to defeat Britain’s Felix Gill 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(1) and lift the MahaOpen ATP Challenger 75 Men’s Tennis Championship at the Shiv Chhatrapati Kreeda Sankul, Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium on Sunday.

The 18-year-old Italian clinched his maiden ATP Challenger title in dramatic fashion, saving five match points in the final set before dominating the decisive tie-break. The gripping contest lasted two hours and 29 minutes and kept the packed crowd on the edge of their seats.

Cina appeared in control early on, using aggressive baseline play and consistent serving to take the opening set 6-3. Gill responded with resilience in the second set, capitalising on a crucial break of serve to level the match at one set apiece.

The third set delivered high-intensity rallies and relentless baseline exchanges, with neither player yielding ground. Serving at 5-6, Cina found himself staring at defeat as Gill earned five match points. However, the teenager displayed remarkable composure to fend off each one and force a tie-break. Raising his game at the crucial moment, the Palermo native raced to a 7-1 win in the breaker to seal the championship in emphatic style.

For his triumph, Cina received the winner’s trophy, USD 17,000 in prize money and 75 ATP ranking points. Gill, the runner-up, earned USD 9,600 and 40 ranking points.

The tournament was organised by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in association with the Department of Sports and Youth Services, Government of Maharashtra, the PCMC, the PMC, and the PMDTA.

The prizes were presented by Prithviraj B.P., Additional Municipal Commissioner of the Pune Municipal Corporation, along with MSLTA President Prashant Sutar, Secretary Sunder Iyer, Joint Secretary Rajiv Desai, ATP Supervisor Rogerio Santos and referee Leena Nageshkar.

Results:

Singles Final:

Federico Cina [6] (ITA) bt Felix Gill (GBR) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (1).

–IANS

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