Excitement builds in Pune for the Maha Open ATP Challenger 75 men’s singles final featuring Great Britain’s Felix Gill against Italy’s Federico Sina. Both players navigated tense semifinals at the Balewadi Tennis Stadium, part of the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, to reach this pivotal stage.
Gill prevailed over eighth seed Adas Butvilas of Lithuania in a 6-4, 7-5 battle of wills. His patient play and timely breaks proved decisive, marking a strong statement in this tournament run by MSLTA with government partnerships.
Sina, the sixth seed and elite junior, dominated Duje Ajdukovic from Croatia 7-5, 6-2. Clinching a razor-thin first set, he then dominated with relentless rallies, wrapping up in 1 hour 15 minutes and signaling his pro-level maturity.
The doubles crown went to Korea’s Jisung Nam and Finland’s Patrick Niklas-Salminen, who edged the Indo-Thai second seeds 6-4, 6-7(1), 10-7. Rewards: $4,980 and 75 points for champs; $2,880 and 50 for runners-up.
Presentations by MMRDA MD Shrawan Hardikar, MSLTA leaders Sunder Iyer and Rajiv Desai, ATP official Rogerio Santos, and Leena Nageshkar capped the day. As finals day approaches, Gill and Sina’s matchup promises fireworks, potentially launching one into the spotlight.