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Chun-hsin Tseng of Taipei emerged as the new champion of the Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger after he halted the dream run of crowd sentiment and qualifier Borna Gojo of Croatia in straight sets 6-4, 7-5 in a pulsating 1 hour-44 minute final held at the KSLTA Stadium here on Sunday. While this was the second ATP Challenger title for the 20-year-old, this was the best performance of his rival who has never surpassed the second round in his earlier Challenger stints.

Despite the fact that there was no Indian involved in the final, a sizeable crowd had gathered to witness the title clash. Chun-hsin who has an impeccable record as a junior finishing as World No.1 in 2018, began on a shaky note, trying to gauge his opponent’s game and more importantly not to lose his serve, although he was on the brink of losing it a couple of times. He achieved the all-important break in the fifth game to end up having the upperhand in the opening set.

The second set was a roller-coaster ride with Tseng, grabbing the first two games with a break in the first. The change of shirt in the second set seemed to have changed his outlook as Bojo played some aggressive tennis coupled with deft cross court drop shots and seemed to run away with the second set leading 5-2. However, the diminutive Taipei player’s never-give-in spirt came to fore as he began his recovery from the eight game, winning five games in a row. He was also gifted some points by an error-prone Gojo who lost his serve in the ninth game owing to two double faults and once again lost his serve in the 11^th game after being two game points up.

The agility and the manner in which Tseng put the ball back into the court was the key factor for the champion. “It was little bit up and down. It was difficult to adjust initially and control the ball as it was getting dark and fast. I knew he had a good serve but I had to keep making longer rallies. After 2-5 down, I told myself to relax and keep going,” said the champion who pocketed USD 7,200 for his effort and more importantly 80 ATP ranking points while Gojo earned USD 4,240 and 50 ranking points.

Results Final

Chun-hsin Tseng (TPE) bt Q- Borna Gojo (CRO) 6-4, 7-5