Pune, Feb 27 (NationPress) The remarkable journey of local wildcard entry Manas Dhamne at the Maha Open ATP Challenger 75 Men's Tennis Championship concluded on Friday at the Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium located in the Shiv Chhatrapati Kreeda Sankul, Pune.

The 18-year-old talent came close to victory but ultimately lost to Duje Ajdukovic of Croatia in a gripping quarterfinal match, having squandered two match points. This tournament is organized by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in collaboration with the Department of Sports and Youth Services, Government of Maharashtra, PCMC, PMC, and PMDTA, with sponsorship from the Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA).

Ajdukovic, aged 25 and currently ranked 346, faced a tough challenge from Dhamne, eventually winning the match with scores of 3-6, 7-6 (8), 6-4 after a remarkable 2 hours and 16 minutes.

The first set featured intense baseline exchanges, with Ajdukovic breaking Dhamne in the third game. However, Dhamne quickly retaliated to even the score at 2-2. The young Indian player elevated his game in the sixth game, executing powerful returns to achieve another break and confidently closing the set 6-3.

Continuing his strong performance, Dhamne broke serve in the third game of the second set to lead 2-1. Yet, Ajdukovic made a strong comeback, breaking back in the eighth game to level the set. The tension escalated, leading to a tie-break which Ajdukovic narrowly won 7-6 (8).

In the deciding set, Ajdukovic started aggressively, breaking Dhamne in the opening game and consolidating his lead with solid serves. Dhamne fought back valiantly, breaking in the fourth game to keep his chances alive. Nevertheless, Ajdukovic's powerful shot-making and clutch serving secured him another break in the seventh game, allowing him to close out the set 6-4 and advance to the semifinals.

In other quarterfinals, the eighth seed Edas Butvilas from Lithuania secured a confident 6-3, 6-3 victory over qualifier Masamichi Imamura from Japan in 1 hour and 21 minutes. Meanwhile, Britain's Felix Gill made a remarkable comeback to defeat qualifier Maks Kasnikowski from Poland with scores of 0-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1, in a thrilling 2-hour and 5-minute match.

Sixth seed Federico Cina from Italy dominated his match against Britain’s Alastair Gray with a score of 6-4, 6-2, securing his place in the semifinals.

In the doubles semifinal, the Indo-Thai duo of Pruchya Isaro and second-seeded Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha triumphed over the third-seeded Japanese team of Yuta Shimizu and Seita Watanabe with a score of 7-5, 7-6 (4) to reach the final. The top-seeded pair Siddhant Banthia and Alexander Donski faced an upset against the fourth-seeded team of Jisung Nam and Patrik Niklas-Salminen.

Results:

Singles (quarterfinals):

Edas Butvilas[8](Ltu) bt [Q] Masamichi Imamura (Jpn) 6-3, 6-3; (1 hour 21 minutes)

Felix Gill (Gbr) bt [Q] Maks Kasnikowski (Pol) 0-6, 7-6(2), 6-1; (2 hours 5 minutes)

Federico Cina [6](Ita) bt Alastair Gray (Gbr) 6-4, 6-2;

Duje Ajdukovic (Cro) bt [Wc] Manas Dhamne (Ind) 3-6, 7-6(8), 6-4; (2 hours 16 minutes)

Doubles (semifinals):

Pruchya Isaro (Tha)/Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha [2](Ind) bt Yuta Shimizu (Jpn)/Seita Watanabe[3](Jpn) 7-5, 7-6(4);

Jisung Nam (Kor)/Patrik Niklas-Salminen [4](Fin) bt Siddhant Banthia (Ind)/Alexander Donski[1](Bul) 6-2, 6-4.