It was semifinal day at the Tata Open Maharashtra and Portuguese player Joao Sousa took on Elias Ymer. The match was quite eventful, as it had almost everything in it – brilliant tennis and a sprinkling of drama. 

The match started off brilliantly as both players were playing their best games, trading blow for blow. In the opening set, it was the Swedish player who managed to draw first blood. Both of them managed to get breaks off each other’s serves. Nonetheless, it was after more than an hour that Ymer sealed the set in his favor. 

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Joao Sousa struck late in the match in Pune 

In the second set, the Portuguese player upped the ante. It was now or never for him and he managed to maintain his composure as he had to win the set in order to keep his chances alive in the tournament. 

Similar to the previous set, this set too took over an hour. After playing a tiebreaker, it was the Portuguese who won the set and sent the match into a third and final set. 

High drama during semifinal clash at the ATP Pune 250 

Interestingly, there was a controversy that took place. At 2-2 in the final set, the balls were allegedly not changed, and it became quite a talking point when Sousa realized it. He then had a conversation with the chair umpire. 

The 32-year-old player stated, “They are so bad. Were those new balls when you started the set? They weren’t, they didn’t change the balls. In fact, when you said new balls, he began serving and it wasn’t given. At the beginning of the third set, he didn’t give the new balls.”

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At the moment, the match is still on and it will be interesting to see who ends up on the winning side. We wish both players the best of luck for the remainder of the season. 

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