Poljičak Reaches San Marino Semifinals, Defeats Muller Ranked 220 Spots Higher
The Split native triumphed 7:6(3), 6:7(4), 7:5 after nearly three hours, and later that day secured a doubles final spot with Latinović
The Split native triumphed 7:6(3), 6:7(4), 7:5 after nearly three hours, and later that day secured a doubles final spot with Latinović
Mili Poljičak, a 22-year-old Croatian tennis player, continues his impressive run at the ATP Challenger in San Marino. In the quarterfinals on Friday, July 31, 2026, he defeated France's Alexandre Muller 2-1 in sets to advance to the semifinals, as reported by Sportklub.
The match lasted two hours and 57 minutes, with a final score of 7:6(3), 6:7(4), 7:5. Muller, a former world No. 38, is currently ranked 132nd on the ATP list, a full 220 spots ahead of Poljičak, according to Dalmacija News.
The first set went to a tie-break after Poljičak missed a chance to serve out the set at 5-4. In the tie-break, the Split native was far more composed, dropping only three points to take a 1-0 lead in sets. The second set was also decided in a tie-break, but this time the Frenchman edged it 7-4 to level the match at 1-1.
In the deciding set, there were no breaks until 5-5, when Poljičak finally broke Muller's serve and then closed out the match on his own serve. Dalmacija News highlights that Poljičak fired 17 aces, lost just ten points behind his first serve (winning 58 of 68), and allowed his opponent only two break points.
By reaching the semifinals, Poljičak has secured a spot among the top 300 players in the world, and on the live rankings, he is currently up 56 places to No. 296. His opponent in the semifinal will be Juan Pablo Varillas of Peru, who also came through qualifying to reach the last four.
Poljičak achieved another success on the same day. Alongside Serbia's Stefan Latinović, he booked a spot in the doubles final. The Croatian-Serbian duo has not dropped a set in San Marino, with a standout victory over Sander Arends and David Pel, a pair ranked in the top 60 in doubles.
Poljičak and Latinović have now played seven matches together and won all of them, including last year's ITF 25k event in Portugal. In the final, they will face the French pair of Luca Sanchez and Arthur Reymond.
