Adrian Ungur will face off Guido Pella in title-round of ATP Challenger Tour Finals – Tennis News
Romanian contender, Adrian Ungur, will square off against seventh seeded Guido Pella in the final showdown at the ATP Challenger Tour Finals, a year-ending tournament taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Ungur crushed fifth seeded Aljaz Bedene with a breadstick while the Argentinean overpowered Victor Hanescu after warding off early resistance in their semis clash.
Both contestants had previously battled each other at this tournament in their round robin matches. Ungur was the one who stole the show in a three-set thriller and gained confidence boost.
The Romanian made a sloppy entry and gifted away the opener with a 4-6 loss. However, he sought his momentum and dragged the following set to a tie-breaker. Ungur not only dominated in it but carried his rhythm in the following set, eventually registering a 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(5) score line in almost two and half hours.
Seeded sixth in this event, Ungur eased past the Slovenian seed in straight sets in one hour and 15 minutes. He showed brilliant defensive skills and warded off six out of eight breakpoints he faced. The Romanian marked six out of eight break chances and clinched the match with a 6-4, 6-1 score line. He nudged up a better first serve share of 64 per cent as opposed to his rival’s 46 per cent and amazingly clinched 23 out of 37 points on it.
Elsewhere, Pella stunned third seeded Hanescu in almost one and a half hour. He withstood seven aces and spilled more double faults. The Argentine also clobbered a lower first serve share of 68 per cent as compared to his opponent’s 78 per cent but impressively availed 33 out of 46 points on it. He lost his serve once but cashed three out of nine break opportunities to manipulate a 7-6(3), 6-2 success.
The Argentine reflected about his next match-up in a post match press conference:
“It'll be equally difficult. He’s been playing well and showed it today beating Bedene easily. I believe he’ll play the same way as the last match. He has a fantastic backhand and it will give me a lot of trouble. All finals are tough and whoever plays better wins the title.”
Overall, fans can expect another thrilling encounter between the two. However, Pella is most likely to avenge his loss and formulate a 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(4) victory against the higher seed.
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