BENGALURU/STARNBERG, February 20, 2022
Aleksandar Vukic clinched his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title by lifting the trophy of the Bengaluru Open 2. The top seed from Australia defeated Dimitar Kuzmanov of Bulgaria 6-4, 6-4 at the KSLTA courts on Sunday.
“I haven’t played much in Asia unlike many of my country-mates. But it was awesome playing here and winning the title,” said Vukic, who dedicated the victory to his family. “I definitely would like to dedicate this victory to my family who have stood by me in tough times,” the 25-year-old added after grabbing the wining cheque of $7,200 and 80 ATP ranking points.
It was question of time for Vukic to adjust to the playing conditions at Bengaluru as he had lost in the second round last week to the eventual runner-up Borna Gojo. “The conditions are tough here with the ball flying and difficult to control. It did take some time to adjust but I think I played some of my best tennis this week,” said Vukic.
Top seed Aussie @Vuki_SMASH23 lives up to his top billing after winning his maiden title at the Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger defeating Bulgarian @KuzmanovD in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 in a gripping final showdown. Watch this space for more! pic.twitter.com/Wg2sKeVMM5
— Bengaluru Tennis Open (@BlrTennisOpen) February 20, 2022
The final promised to be an exciting affair with the crowd turning out in different hues, adding sheen to the setting. The challenger, 28-year-old Kuzmanov, on the back of his thrilling comeback victory against the third seed Enzo Couacaud in the semi-final on Saturday, did carry the same confidence against his top seeded opponent today. As the games went with the serves, Vukic was quick to take advantage of a couple of unforced errors in the fifth game to earn a break, which proved enough for Vukic to win the set.
The second set saw Kuzmanov getting even more unsettled, especially with his temper, earning a first warning for hitting the ball out of the stadium in anger in the first game. After losing his serve in the third game, the Bulgarian threw his racket in rage in the fifth game, earning a point penalty which gave Vukic the game, who was already on advantage point. Both held their respective serves until Vukic blasted three aces, two of consecutive to sign off in style after one hour and 25 minutes.
