Sixth seed Federico Cina made a remarkable comeback to defeat Britain’s Felix Gill 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(1) and claim the MahaOpen ATP Challenger 75 Men’s Tennis Championship at the Shiv Chhatrapati Kreeda Sankul, Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium. The 18-year-old Italian saved five match points in the final set before dominating the tie-break to secure his first ATP Challenger title in a thrilling two-hour and 29-minute match that kept the audience on the edge of their seats.
Cina initially took control with aggressive play and solid serving to win the first set 6-3. However, Gill fought back in the second set, breaking Cina’s serve to level the match. The third set was intense, with both players engaged in high-intensity rallies and refusing to give in. Despite facing five match points at 5-6, Cina remained composed, saving each one and eventually winning the tie-break 7-1 to clinch the championship.
In recognition of his victory, Cina received the winner’s trophy, USD 17,000 in prize money, and 75 ATP ranking points, while Gill, the runner-up, earned USD 9,600 and 40 ranking points. The tournament was jointly organized by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA), the Department of Sports and Youth Services of the Government of Maharashtra, the PCMC, the PMC, and the PMDTA.
The awards were presented by Prithviraj B.P., Additional Municipal Commissioner of the Pune Municipal Corporation, alongside MSLTA President Prashant Sutar, Secretary Sunder Iyer, Joint Secretary Rajiv Desai, ATP Supervisor Rogerio Santos, and referee Leena Nageshkar.
