Crawford ends compatriot Khan's winning run in India | ITF

Crawford ends compatriot Khan's winning run in India

Jamie Renton

29 Mar 2021

American Oliver Crawford collected his third title on the ITF World Tennis Tour after defeating compatriot Zane Khan 6-3 6-0 in the final at M15 Pune.

Crawford’s win denied Khan a third straight title in India, with his 19-year-old opponent tallying 14 wins in his last 15 matches en route to titles at M15 events in Lucknow and Indore before his runner-up finish in Pune.

“It’s been a great week with tough matches on the way to the finals,” said Crawford, 21. “It feels great to win the event which was conducted in tough times. I feel for Zane as he looked very tired, but he has had a good three weeks in India.

“For me, it’s my first time in India and everything in the organisation of this event has been perfect. I would like to come back again.”

Elsewhere, Hsu Yu Hsiou continued his hot-streak on the ITF World Tennis Tour in Sharm El Sheikh, capturing his fourth title in eight weeks at the Egyptian M15 tournament.

The 21-year-old from Chinese Taipei defeated Japan’s Makoto Ochi 6-2 6-1 in the final for his sixth ITF title overall.

Hsiou, the former junior world No. 5, has already put together an impressive 32-4 win-loss record on the ITF World Tennis Tour this year, climbing to a career-high 403 in the ATP rankings as a result.

Giovanni Fonio, 22, won an all-Italian final on Croatian soil at M15 Opatija after beating 19-year-old Giacomo Dambrosi 6-2 6-3 for his third ITF singles crown.

Lucas Catarina returned to the winner’s circle after securing his first title of the year at M15 Monastir. The 24-year-old from Monaco claimed his eighth ITF hard court title after edging past Mateus Alves 6-7(3) 7-5 6-4 in Tunisia.

Serbia’s Miljan Zekic continued the impressive form that has seen him reach the final of his last four tournaments at M15 Antalya, securing a second title in as many weeks with a 7-6(6) 6-3 win over Daniel Michalski.

The 32-year-old Serb, who ranked as high as No. 188 in 2016 but currently sits outside the top 400, has won 80% of his matches in 2020, compiling an impressive 24-6 win-loss record so far this year.

Six men's tournaments are taking place on the ITF World Tennis Tour this week, headlined by M25 Biel. Follow the latest scores and streams here.

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