Poullain came from a set down to beat Simakin 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 at the ATP Challenger Istanbul II. He served more cleanly and came up bigger on return, saving four of the nine break points he faced while Simakin saved 10 of 17. Poullain finished with two aces and one double fault; Simakin had no aces and four double faults.
The opener was a break-filled affair: Poullain broke for 1-0, Simakin answered at 1-1 and added breaks at 2-4 and 3-5, and although Poullain kept hitting back, Simakin took the set 7-5 by breaking in the 12th game. Poullain then seized control, winning five games in a row to take the second set, and carried that into the decider, breaking at 1-0 and then at 4-3 after Simakin levelled at 2-2. A final break in the ninth game sealed the win.
The standout stat was Poullain's returning: he won 49 receiving points to Simakin's 38. His first serve was also a factor, landing at 75% and winning 59% of points behind it, while Simakin edged the total service-point count 53-50.