Just when Shane Furrows had top seed Andreas Scott on the ropes in the Baseline UTR Tour Challenger Event Three open men’s final on August 16, Scott produced a final act of resistance.

Both fiercely contested sets went to tie-breaks, but it was Scott’s extraordinary fightback from 4-0 down in the second that proved decisive in an absorbing final on court 14 at the Gauteng East Tennis Association (GETA) Complex.

Furrows had already fought back from a difficult position in the opening set and appeared to have the momentum in the second, creating a chance to force the 10-point tie-break.

But Scott refused to surrender, clawing his way back before holding his nerve when it mattered most to clinch the title 7-6, 7-6, along with the prize money and valuable ranking points.

“I’m very happy. It’s a beautiful Sunday,” he said.

Scott credited Furrows for making the final a tough contest, particularly after repeatedly saving break points in the opening set.

“In the first set, I played stronger than him. I held my serve quite comfortably. But credit to him. Every single time I had break points on his serve, Shane served his way out of trouble,” he said.

“I was lucky to have converted the set in the tie-break because if I didn’t, it would have been frustrating to have felt comfortable in the set and then end up losing it.”

Furrows raised his level in the second set and took advantage of slower balls to put Scott under pressure.

“I think the balls got older and became slower. Shane is physical. He moves. He’s one of the best movers you will find in Johannesburg,” said Scott.

“Once the balls got slower, I struggled to get past him and went 4-0 down. At 4-4, I relaxed and started letting the arm go loose and swinging at it. That allowed me to come back and I got a bit lucky at the end of the set.”

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Furrows felt too many errors cost him after establishing a 4-0 lead.

“I didn’t play too badly. I think I played well to go 4-0 up in the second set and then unfortunately there were too many errors from me,” he said.

Prinsloo prevails in women’s final

Abigail Prinsloo needed a 10-point tie-break to clinch the women’s title after Morakane Molaoa fought back from a difficult opening set.

Prinsloo raced to a 6-0 first-set victory, but Molaoa responded strongly to take the second 6-4 and force the deciding tie-break.

Prinsloo held her nerve to win 10-5 and claim the title 6-0, 4-6, 10-5.

“It was really tough. She put a lot of pressure on me. The first set went smoothly. In the second, she levelled up again. But I managed to pull it through at the end,” said Prinsloo.

“I’m really happy. It’s been two really tough days. Everybody is playing well. I’m super happy to have won the tournament.”

Molaoa, 14, believed the contest could have gone either way.

“I started a bit slow. She played really well. In the second set, I started to get my rhythm, being more consistent and getting my shots in,” she said.

“In the 10-point tie-break, she did very well. It could have gone either way. I believe we both played well.”

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