Anning Challengers | Prajnesh Gunneswaran fights back to be on track for title defense
Prajnesh Gunneswaran is on the track to secure second consecutive Anning ATP Challenger title after beating Kamil Majchrzak 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 6-4 in the semi-final. The duo had also met in the semi-final of the same event last year as well and Gunneswaran beat Majchrzak on his way to the title.
Gunneswaran raced ahead in the game with an early break in the first set but was broken by the Polish ace while serving for the set. However, the Indian quickly regrouped himself and won the tie-break in order to push to the brink in the second set to its very limit. Gunneswaran, however, held his nerve and rallied his way back in the game to win the decider and ensured that he will have a crack at the title defence on the Chinese clay court.
This was the first time in the edition of the tournament that the Indian second seed has dropped a set and incidentally, the last time he dropped a set in the same tournament was against the Poland player in the semi-finals last year.
The Indian had won his first ATP Challenger title on the clay courts of Anning last year by getting the better of Egyptian Mohamed Safwat in the final. Gunneswaran will now face the winner of the match between Jay Clarke and Goncalo Oliveira in the final.
In the doubles event, N Sriram Balaji and partner James Cerretani went down in the quarter-final 7-6(9),4-6,11-9 to Sun Fajing and Bai Yan to end their campaign in a disappointing note.
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