Federico Cina downs Felix Gill in final, clinches maiden title on ATP Challenger Tour

Sixth seed Italian Federico Cina saved five match points to overcome Great Britain’s Felix Gill and win the singles title at the Pune ATP Challenger 2026 at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune on Sunday.

Federico Cina’s win at the Pune ATP Challenger was a milestone moment as the Italian teenager clinched his first title on the ATP Challenger Tour after losing three finals last year.

The Italian tennis player, 223rd in the men’s singles rankings, beat world No. 300 Felix Gill 6-3, 5-7, 7(7)-6(1). In a contest that lasted two hours and 29 minutes, Cina held his nerve in the decisive tie-break to prevail.

Federico Cina looked in control after taking the opening set with aggressive baseline play and solid serving. However, Felix Gill fought back in the second set, breaking at a crucial stage to level the match.

The deciding set witnessed high-quality rallies and baseline exchanges, with neither player willing to concede ground.

Federico Cina was down five times on his serve at 6-5 with his back to the wall and facing match points before valiantly fighting back every time.

The Italian held on to force a tie-break in the third set, which the 18-year-old Federico Cina dominated to seal the win.

Meanwhile, the Republic of Korea’s Nam Ji-sung and Finland’s Patrik Niklas-Salminen won the Maha Open doubles final on Saturday after a 6-4, 6(1)-7(7), 10-7 win over Indian tennis player Niki Poonacha and his partner Pruchya Isaro of Thailand.

India’s top-ranked tennis player and Olympian Sumit Nagal suffered a narrow defeat against eventual runners-up Felix Gill in the second round.