Mili Poljičak Reaches ATP Challenger Final in San Marino
The Split native will play for the biggest trophy of his career and a career-best ranking on Sunday after defeating Juan Pablo Varillas in the semifinals.
The Split native will play for the biggest trophy of his career and a career-best ranking on Sunday after defeating Juan Pablo Varillas in the semifinals.
Croatian tennis representative Mili Poljičak has advanced to the final of the ATP Challenger 125 in San Marino. The 22-year-old from Split, currently ranked 352nd in the world, defeated 30-year-old Peruvian Juan Pablo Varillas (ATP - 274) 7-5, 6-4 in Saturday's semifinal, as reported by HRT.
Poljičak's path to the final is all the more impressive given that he started the tournament in qualifying. According to Dalmacija News, he also eliminated the 4th and 5th seeds, Nikoloz Basilashvili and Alexandre Muller, in the main draw.
In the semifinal clash, Poljičak showed mental strength by overturning deficits in both sets. As reported by Sportklub, he trailed 5-3 in the first set and 3-1 in the second, before ultimately prevailing in straight sets. During the match, he converted four of 13 break points, while his Peruvian opponent capitalized on both break opportunities he had.
This is Poljičak's fourth career final on the Challenger Tour. He lost the first two - in Zagreb in 2022 and in Targu Mures, Romania, in 2025. He converted his third final, held this spring on home soil in Split, into a title. The San Marino tournament carries a higher category (125) than the one in Split (50), so a victory on Sunday would bring him the most valuable trophy of his career so far.
In the final, scheduled for Sunday, Poljičak will face the winner of the match between top seed Facundo Diaz Acosta of Argentina (ATP - 107) and third seed Vilius Gaubas of Lithuania (ATP - 128).
By merely reaching the final, Poljičak has already secured a significant rise in the ATP rankings. According to Sportklub's calculations, he will jump from his current 352nd position to approximately 259th. If he wins the title, he would break into the top 203, which would be a career-best ranking. HRT, meanwhile, notes that winning the trophy could result in a jump of around 150 places.
