ATP Zhuhai: De Minaur downs Bautista Agut to set title clash vs. Mannarino
Adrian Mannarino is through to is eighth ATP final in Zhuhai, defeating the 8th seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 in two hours and three minutes. It was their sixth match on the Tour and the third win for the Frenchman who lost only 17 points in 12 service games, facing two break points and giving serve away once to keep the pressure on the other side of the net. To stay competitive, Albert had to repat those numbers and that wasn't the case today, dropping almost half of the points behind the initial shot and suffering five breaks from eight chances offered to Adrian who controlled the pace in sets he won to advance into the title match. Adrian needed less than 25 minutes to wrap up the opening set with a bagel, dominating on both serve and return and losing only six points overall to leave Albert far behind.
The Spaniard responded with much better performance in the second set, barely giving away a point behind the second serve and earning a break at 3-3 when Mannarino netted a backhand, moving in front and closing the set with a service winner in the tenth game to send the encounter into a decider. The momentum was on his side but that didn't last for long, with Adrian restoring his game in the final set to race towards the finish line, breaking the fellow left-hander with a backhand winner in game four and again at 4-1, sealing the deal on own serve with a hold at 15 in game seven to secure the spot in the final. There, he will face the 7th seed Alex de Minaur who ousted the London contender Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-2 in an hour and 18 minutes for the place in the fifth ATP final.
The youngster dropped only seven points on serve, fending off two break points when he was already miles in front and having the upper hand on the return as well, stealing almost half of the points in Bautista Agut's games and earning four breaks from five opportunities that propelled him closer to the title. The Aussie claimed the 27-shot rally in the third game to grab a break, confirming it with four winners in the next game and delivering another break in the seventh game after a loose forehand from the Spaniard to move 5-2 in front. Serving for the set, de Minaur fended off two break points with winners and sealed the opener with another one for a 6-2, gathering the momentum ahead of set number two where it was all about him again. Just like in the first set, the Aussie broke in the third game and again at 4-2 following a tired backhand from the Spaniard before moving over the top with a forehand winner in the eighth game.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2mOdgNJ
No comments