Smith C. rallied from a set down to defeat Ilagan A. 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 in a tense ATP Challenger final in Lincoln. The American dominated on serve with 12 aces and saved 7 of 9 break points, including all five he faced in the deciding set.
Ilagan drew first blood by breaking in the seventh game of the opening set to take it 6-4. Smith hit back in the second, breaking twice — at 2-0 and 4-2 after Ilagan had briefly levelled — to force a decider. The third set featured no breaks of serve; Smith held his nerve in the tiebreak to close out the match.
Smith’s 12 aces against Ilagan’s one, combined with a 77% break-point save rate, proved the difference. He never faced a break point in the first set but recovered strongly, winning 67 of 98 service points overall.