Lithuanian Vilius Gaubas falls in San Marino Challenger semifinals

Lithuanian tennis player Vilius Gaubas's impressive run at the San Marino Challenger has concluded in the semifinals. The 21-year-old faced the tournament's top seed and world No. 107, Facundo Diaz Acosta of Argentina, on Saturday. Gaubas was ultimately defeated in straight sets, with a score of 6-2, 6-3, in a match that lasted approximately one hour and 23 minutes. Acosta, who had also defeated Gaubas less than a month prior at the Braunschweig Challenger, demonstrated his superior ranking by controlling the first set and securing the crucial final games of the second set.

Gaubas, seeded third in the tournament, had a strong performance leading up to the semifinals. He defeated Luka Pavlović of Serbia (6-1, 7-5), Genaro Alberto Olivieri of Argentina (6-2, 6-3), and the experienced Thiago Monteiro of Brazil (7-6 (7), 7-6 (5)). His journey to the semifinals earned him 35 ATP ranking points and a prize money of 10,605 euros from the tournament's total prize fund of 203,900 euros.

Facundo Diaz Acosta, 25, has previously reached a career-high ATP ranking of 47 and won the ATP 250 tournament in Buenos Aires in 2024. He will now compete in the final against qualifier Mili Poljičak of Croatia, who defeated Juan Pablo Varillas of Peru in the other semifinal. The result marks a significant achievement for Gaubas, showcasing his potential on the challenger circuit despite the semifinal setback.