-MyKhel Team
Britain’s Felix Gill outlasted India’s leading player Sumit Nagal at the PMRDA Powered Maha Open ATP Challenger 75 in Pune. Gill won 7-6(4), 0-6, 6-3 in a tense match lasting 2 hours and 37 minutes. The result sent Gill into the quarter-finals after a fluctuating three-set battle.
The win also levelled a recent setback for Gill. Sumit Nagal had beaten the Brit in Chennai two weeks earlier. In Pune, Gill stayed composed in the deciding set. Gill earned the key break after splitting the first two sets. That final push sealed the comeback on a busy second-round day.
Sumit Nagal twice broke serve in the opening set and moved ahead each time. However, Sumit Nagal could not protect those leads on serve. The set went to a tight tie-break. Gill edged it 7-6(4). Sumit Nagal then hit back hard. The second set ended 6-0 in Sumit Nagal’s favour.
Friday’s quarter-final schedule also kept Indian interest alive. Wildcard Manas Dhamne was set for a 3pm match. The local teenager faced Croatia’s Duje Ajdukovic. Organisers said the quarter-finals were played on Friday. The singles draw left Manas Dhamne as the remaining home hope mentioned.
Eighth seed Edas Butvilas of Lithuania advanced with a quick win over qualifier Tung-Lin Wu of Chinese Taipei. Butvilas won 6-3, 6-0 in 58 minutes. The biggest shock came later. Japanese qualifier Masamichi Imamura removed second seed Jay Clarke of Great Britain 6-2, 6-4 in 1 hour 19 minutes.
The tournament was staged at the Shiv Chhatrapati Kreeda Sankul, Mhalunge Balewadi Tennis Stadium. It was organised by Maharashtra State Lawn tennis Association in association with state sports authorities. Pune bodies PCMC, PMC and PMDTA were listed as partners. Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) was named sponsor.
Results (Main Draw, Second Round, Singles)
| Match | Score | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Edas Butvilas [8] (Ltu) vs [Q] Tung-Lin Wu (Tpe) | 6-3, 6-0 | 58 minutes |
| Felix Gill (Gbr) vs Sumit Nagal (Ind) | 7-6(4), 0-6, 6-3 | 2hour 37 minutes |
| [Q] Masamichi Imamura (Jpn) vs Jay Clarke [2] (Gbr) | 6-2, 6-4 | 1hour 19 minutes |
Results (Doubles, Quarterfinal Round)
| Match | Score |
|---|---|
| [4] Jisung Nam (Kor) / Patrik Niklas-Salminen (Fin) vs Ryuki Matsuda (Jpn) / Ilia Simakin | 6-3, 6-3 |
| Yuta Shimizu (Jpn) / Seita Watanabe [3] (Jpn) vs [Wc] Saketh Myneni (Ind) / Digvijaypratap Singh (Ind) | 6-4, 6-4 |
| Pruchya Isaro (Tha) / Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha (Ind) [2] vs Jay Clarke (Gbr) / Michael Geerts (Bel) | 1-0 retd. |
With Sumit Nagal out, attention shifted to the remaining quarter-final line-up in Pune. Felix Gill moved forward after recovering from a one-sided second set. Edas Butvilas progressed in under an hour, while Masamichi Imamura’s straight-sets win changed the seed order. Friday’s schedule included Manas Dhamne’s 3pm match against Duje Ajdukovic.
Story first published: Thursday, February 26, 2026, 20:28 [IST]
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