ATP Metz: Pouille edges Krajinovic. Tsonga, Bedene and Paire reach semis
Three French players have left in the title chase in Metz, hoping to deliver the ninth crown for the home players in the last 11 editions of this ATP 250 indoor event. The 3rd seed Benoit Paire defeated Gregoire Barrere 7-6, 6-4 in an hour and 19 minutes for the fourth semi-final of the season, blasting 14 aces and facing only one break chance. Barrere converted it but needed more than that to stay competitive, repelling seven out of nine break points and wasting the advantage in the opener to push Paire through. Benoit climbed back from 4-1 down to get back to the positive side of the scoreboard, securing the tie break with three mini-breaks and controlling the pace in set number two to grab a break at 5-4 and seal the deal in style. Aljaz Bedene is through to the second semi-final in 2019, ousting Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4, 7-5 in an hour and 23 minutes after another dominant display behind the initial shot.
The Slovenian fired 27 aces and lost three points behind the first serve, fending off the only break point he faced and mounting the pressure on the other side of the net. Carreno Busta gave his best to stay competitive, saving eight out of ten break chances but sending the rival into the next round after he gave serve away at 3-3 in the first and 5-5 in the second set, powerless on the return and without a chance of pulling them back. The 4th seed Lucas Pouille toppled Filip Krajinovic 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 in just under two hours, winning five points more than the Serb and repelling eight out of 11 break chances he faced.
Filip won the opening set with an early break in game three, surviving a couple of challenging service games in the rest of the set to win it 6-4. He had a break advantage in set number two as well, staying in front only for a couple of minutes before Pouille broke back in game eight, gathering the momentum and taking four of the last five games for a 7-5 and a massive boost ahead of the decider. There, he stole the opponent's serve three times in a row to march on and book the spot in the last four, mighty relieved after an excellent turnaround. The three-time champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga moved on when the 2nd seed Nikoloz Basilashvili retired while trailing 5-7, 6-3, 4-1 after an hour and 50 minutes.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Od3mAz
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