POREC, March 13, 2025 (Press Release)
Split’s Mili Poljicak will be the only Croatian representative in the quarterfinals of the Istarska Rivijera ITF World Tennis Tour M15 tournament in Porec, securing his spot with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory over Ukraine’s Vyacheslav Bielinskyi (ATP 555) on Thursday.
The Ukrainian had a 2-0 head-to-head record against the 20-year-old Croatian Davis Cup player and even won the first two games of their third encounter. However, Poljicak (ATP 293) quickly recovered and won three consecutive games. The first-set tie-break proved decisive, as Bielinskyi led 4-0, only for Poljicak to win seven points in a row and claim the set.
A break in the fifth game of the second set gave the young Croatian a crucial advantage, which he held onto until the end. After nearly two hours of play, Poljicak moved into the quarterfinals, where he will face second seed Mirza Basic (ATP 543), an experienced Bosnian national team member and the eighth seed in Porec. Basic secured his quarterfinal spot with a dominant 6-3, 6-0 victory over 18-year-old Slovenian Mak Milkovic, who had earned his first ATP Ranking point in the first round.
Matej Dodig (ATP 292), a 19-year-old from Osijek, was on the verge of joining Poljicak in the quarterfinals, but he suffered a heartbreaking loss to 23-year-old Italian Samuele Pieri (ATP 727) after leading 5-2 in the third set.
Despite being the top seed of the tournament, Dodig failed to convert his advantage into victory. In the end, the Italian staged an impressive comeback, defeating the Croatian in a thrilling encounter, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (3).
ISTARSKA RIVIJERA M15 ITF Porec
Singles – First Round
Sandro Kopp (3) – Andrea Meduri 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Singles – Second Round
Samuele Pieri – Matej Dodig (1) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (3)
Andrej Nedić – Stefan Popović (6) 6-3, 6-2
Sandro Kopp (3) – Matthias Ujvary 6-0, 4-6, 6-3
Dominik Kellovsky (7) – Sebastian Sorger 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Nerman Fatić (5) – Nemanja Malešević 6-3, 6-4
Jan Kupčič – Michael Vrbensky (4) 6-3, 6-4
Mirza Bašić (8) – Mak Milkovič 6-3, 6-0
Mili Poljičak (2) – Vyacheslav Bielinskyi 7-6 (4), 6-4
