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Vesely downs Gerasimov to claim Pune title

Pune - Big serving Jiri Vesely of Czech Republic overcame tough resistance from eight seed Egor Gerasimov to claim his second ATP Tour title on Sunday in Pune.

The left-handed Vesely, who was unseeded in India's only ATP tournament, served out Gerasimov of Belarus 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-3 in 2 hour and 11 minutes.

Vesely, who saved six match points in the last two matches, fired 26 aces in the title clash to take home a winning prize of $91,625 in the hard court tournament.

"It's been a very long week, especially the last three days. Three long matches, very close matches. Was just lucky maybe," Vesely, 26, said after the win, adding it was a great start to the season.

"It's only February and already having a title in my pocket is amazing. Hope to keep the momentum and get some good results in the next few weeks."

He became only the eighth player since 2013 to save match points in two matches on his way to an ATP Tour crown.

Vesely saved two match points in a final set tie-break to reach the semi-finals and advanced to the championship match after surviving four match points in another tie-break against Ricardas Berankis.

The 27-year-old Gerasimov, with a world ranking of 90, broke his opponent's serve in the 11th game to claim the second set.

But Vesely, ranked 107, came back roaring in the final set to break Gerasimov in just the second game and go 2-0 and notch up his second title after the 2015 triumph in Auckland.

Earlier Christopher Rungkat and Andre Goransson won their maiden team title after serving out the third-seeded pair of Jonathan Erlich and Andrei Vasilevski.

The unseeded pair of Rungkat (Indonesia) and Goransson (Sweden) beat the Israeli/Belarusian duo 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 in one hour and 11 minutes.

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