Teenager Manas Dhamne went down fighting in the quarterfinal of the Pune ATP Challenger 2026 on Friday to end India’s campaign in the singles event.
The 18-year-old Indian tennis player squandered two match points before going down against Croatia’s Duje Ajdukovic with a 3-6, 7(6)-6(8), 6-4 scoreline in two hours and 16 minutes at the Balewadi Stadium.
The opening set saw both players engage in fierce baseline exchanges. Ajdukovic struck first with a break in the third game, but Dhamne, a wildcard entry to the ATP 75 event, responded immediately to level at 2-2.
The young Indian tennis player raised the tempo in the sixth game, hammering aggressive returns to snatch another break before confidently serving out the set 6-3.
Dhamne continued his momentum in the second set, breaking in the third game for a 2-1 lead. However, Ajdukovic mounted a determined comeback, breaking back in the eighth game to draw level.
With neither player conceding ground, the set was pushed into a tense tie-break. The Croatian held his nerve to restore parity.
In the decider, Ajdukovic came out firing, breaking in the very first game and consolidating with strong serves. Dhamne fought back bravely with a break in the fourth game to keep his hopes alive.
However, Ajdukovic’s aggressive shot-making and clutch serving proved to be decisive as he secured another break in the seventh game and closed out the set 6-4 to book his semifinal berth.
In the earlier rounds, Dhamne got past Ilya Ivashka, a former top-50 singles tennis player, after winning against Stefanos Sakellaridis of Greece, the winner of last week’s Delhi Open.
India’s top-ranked singles player Sumit Nagal suffered a narrow defeat against Great Britain’s Felix Gill in a second-round encounter on Thursday.
Top seeds Banthia and Donski upset in semis
On Friday, eighth seed Edas Butvilas of Lithuania delivered a composed 6-3, 6-3 win over qualifier Masamichi Imamura of Japan in an hour and 21 minutes.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Felix Gill scripted a turnaround to defeat qualifier Maks Kasnikowski of Poland 0-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1 in an exciting battle that lasted 2 hours and 5 minutes.
Sixth seed Federico Cina from Italy was in control during his 6-4, 6-2 victory over Britain’s Alastair Gray to confirm his spot in the semifinals.
In doubles semifinal action, the Indo-Thai combination of Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha and Pruchya Isaro, the second seeds, outplayed the third-seeded Japanese pair of Yuta Shimizu and Seita Watanabe 7-5, 7-6(4) to enter the final.
Top seeds Siddhant Banthia and Alexander Donski were upset by the fourth-seeded pairing of Jisung Nam and Patrik Niklas-Salminen in the second semifinal.
Results: Men’s singles (Quarterfinals): 8-Edas Butvilas (LTU) beat Masamichi Imamura (JPN) 6-3, 6-3; Felix Gill (GBR) beat Maks Kasnikowski (POL) 0-6, 7-6(2), 6-1; 6-Federico Cina (ITA) beat Alastair Gray (GBR) 6-4, 6-2; Duje Ajdukovic (CRO) beat Manas Dhamne (IND) 3-6, 7-6(8), 6-4.
Men’s doubles (semifinals): 2-Pruchya Isaro (THA)/Niki Kaliyanda Poonacha (IND) beat Yuta Shimizu (JPN) Seita Watanabe (JPN) [3] 7-5, 7-6(4); 4-Jisung Nam (KOR)/Patrik Niklas-Salminen (FIN) beat 1-Siddhant Banthia (IND)/Alexander Donski (BUL) 6-2, 6-4.
