Bengaluru: Stefano Napolitano capped a fine week by capturing only his second ATP Challenger title with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Seongchan Hong in the final of the Bengaluru Open at the KSLTA courts inside Cubbon Park here on Sunday.
The triumph will make the Italian richer by USD 18,230 but more importantly, the 100 points earned will propel the 28-year-old — who last won a Challenger more than seven years ago — into the 160s (from No. 204 in the world).
At the start, there was little to separate the two. The first five games saw three breaks of serve, and only when Hong held to 4-1 (to love) did the contest appear to settle. Napolitano’s was the heftier stroke, but Hong scurried all over the turf, redirected his opponent’s pace and seemed omnipresent as he took the first set 6-4.
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