Brisbane, Australia, 20 August 2020 | Leigh Rogers

Alexander Crnokrak has won his second UTR Pro Tennis Series title with an impressive effort in Brisbane this week.

The 20-year-old from the Gold Coast recorded a 6-4 6-4 win over Maverick Banes in the men’s singles final at Pat Rafter Arena today. Crnokrak has now won 11 of his past 12 matches, improving his series record to 15 wins from 20 matches.

Crnokrak raced to a 3-0 lead in the opening set with a double break in hand, but Banes fought back to win the next four games.

Buoyed by three victories against the 28-year-old Banes already in the series, Crnokrak quickly stemmed the momentum of his fellow Gold Coast resident and took the opening set in 45 minutes.

Crnokrak broke again early in the second set, establishing a 3-1 advantage. Having won all his round-robin matches this week in match tiebreaks, a determined Crnokrak made sure the final was a straight-sets encounter.

Banes refused to give in, saving five break points to win an epic nine-deuce game on serve at 2-4. But in the end, Crnokrak had too much firepower and sealed victory with an ace.

The world No.649 has spent much of the tour suspension training alongside more experienced peers such as Banes and Jason Kubler, an opportunity he credits for his red-hot form.

“I think that’s helped me a lot, because the way they bring intensity to every training session I can learn from them,” Crnokrak said earlier in the series. “It really helped me to get better.”

FEATURE: Alexander Crnokrak seizing opportunity

Olivia Gadecki won the women’s singles final when injury forced Maddison Inglis to retire in the second set.

Inglis, who was aiming to win her third title of the series, was leading 6-2 1-2 when she stopped due to a leg complaint.

It capped an breakthrough week for Gadecki. The 18-year-old from the Gold Coast defeated top seed Lizette Cabrera in round-robin action to qualify for her first final of the series. It also marked a career-first victory over a top 150-ranked opponent.

Gadecki’s series record now stands at nine wins from 15 matches.

The UTR Pro Tennis Series continues over the next fortnight in both Sydney and Brisbane. All matches are streamed live on the Tennis Australia YouTube channel.

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