Winner's Circle: Vesely concludes dramatic week with title in Pune

This edition features Czech veteran Jiri Vesely, who battled to save match points in two consecutive matches before winning his second overall ATP title at the Tata Open Maharashtra.

With only one win on the ATP main draw, Vesely was having a forgettable 2020 season. The Czech entered the Tata Open unseeded, and defeated 612th-ranked Arjun Kadhe 6-2 6-4 in the first round. He proceeded to upset seventh seed Salvatore Caruso 7-6(5) 6-4 in the second round to finally win two matches in a row.

Awaiting Vesely in the quarterfinals was unseeded Belarusian Ilya Ivashka, who had upset third-seeded Stefano Travaglia in the second round. In a match that lasted two and a half hours, Vesely saved two match points in the final set to secure a 2-6 6-1 7-6(11) victory.

With top seed Benoit Paire falling in the second round, the path to the final seemed less tedious. However, Vesely faced a difficult challenge in second seed Ricardas Berankis. The Lithuanian had claimed their sole previous encounter in a marathon five-setter at the 2019 US Open. This semifinal encounter also went the distance, with Vesely having to survive four match points before advancing 6-7(8) 7-6(3) 7-6(7) to his third ATP final.

The Czech faced eight-seeded Egor Gerasimov, who was hoping to become just the second Belarusian to win an ATP Tour singles title (Max Mirnyi triumphed in Rotterdam 2003). Using powerful groundstrokes and his superior serve, Vesely hit 26 aces and was able to overpower Gerasimov 7-6(2) 5-7 6-3 to claim his second ATP title.

The 26-year old waited five years after his maiden ATP title at Auckland before adding a second trophy to his collection. He became just the eighth player since 2013 to save match points in two matches en route to an ATP title. Furthermore, this victory saw his ranking rise from World No.107 to No.72 on the FedEx ATP rankings.

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