ROME, April 25, 2025
Vilius Gaubas has reached the final of the Roma Garden Open. The top seed of the ATP Challenger Tour 50 clay-court event in Rome fought past fifth favourite Lukas Neumayer of Austria 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 on Friday.
Gaubas came back from a set and a break down, winning 53 per cent of the total points played to prevail after two hours and 24 minutes.
Into his second consecutive Roma Garden Open final!
Vilius Gaubas comes back from a set and a break down to outlast Lukas Neumayer 4-6 6-3 6-1.
No play tomorrow because of the Pope’s funeral, meets Matteo Gigante in Sunday’s final.#ATPChallenger #Rome pic.twitter.com/eJC2U19cn5
— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) April 25, 2025
“In the first set and at the beginning of the second, I didn’t control my emotions very well. Whenever my opponent was playing well, I was frustrated. It was difficult to accept it. But in the end, I tried to relax and enjoyed the crowd here. It worked out very well,” Gaubas said after reaching his second consecutive title match at the Tennis Club Garden, situated in the southeast of the Italian capital.
“Last year I came from qualifying and made it into the final. I guess the people like how I play and I enjoyed the atmosphere,” said Gaubas, who is vying for his third ATP Challenger Tour career crown, his second of the season following his triumph at the Open Menorca earlier this month.
The World No. 149 from Lithuania is taking on Italian Matteo Gigante for the title. The No. 7 seed received a walkover from Austrian qualifier Sandro Kopp, who was forced to withdraw from the match due to illness.
As no matches are taking place on Saturday due the Pope’s funeral, Gaubas is looking forward to the showdown on Sunday: “I just expect to play good tennis and trying to do my things in the best possible way,” he added.
Grevelius/Heinonen triumph in doubles
Meanwhile, Erik Grevelius and Adam Heinonen of Sweden clinched the doubles title. The unseeded pair defeated the tournament’s top seeds from Italy, Marco Bortolotti and Giorgio Ricca, 7-6(2), 7-5 in one hour and 41 minutes.
By winning their maiden team title on the ATP Challenger Tour, Grevelius and Heinonen split € 2,680 in prize money and earned 50 ATP Doubles Ranking points.
