ATP Sofia: Adrian Mannarino, Vasek Pospisil and Richard Gasquet reach semis

After the quarter-final encounters at the ATP 250 event in Sofia, Adrian Mannarino is the only seeded player left in the title chase. Mannarino had barely won a couple of matches before the indoor swing, reaching the quarter-final in Cologne 2, the final in Nur-Sultan and the third round at the Paris Masters. The Frenchman will compete in the second semi-final of the season in Sofia, beating Radu Albot 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 in two hours and one minute. Adrian lost serve twice and produced three breaks from ten opportunities, leaving the second set behind and seizing control in the decider to find himself in the last four. Mannarino had the upper hand in the opener, serving well and providing breaks in games one and five for 6-2. Albot made a fine response in set number two, stealing the rival's serve in games two and six to force a decider. Startin all over, Mannarino grabbed a break in the fourth game of the final set, fending off two break chances in the next one and moving over the top with a hold at 5-3.

Vasek Pospisil will compete in the second indoor ATP semi-final following a 6-3, 6-2 victory over John Millman in 72 minutes. In the previous round, Millman stayed on the court for over three hours against Gilles Simon, having nothing left in the tank for the next challenge. The Canadian lost 13 points in nine service games, getting broken once and earning four breaks from six opportunities to control the scoreboard and remain on the title course. Vasek forged a 5-1 advantage in the opener, getting broken while serving for the set but closing it with a hold in game nine.

Two French players have reached the semi-final in Sofia.

Millman barely won a point on the return in set number two, dropping 20 of the last 22 points to propel Pospisil into the final four. The 34-year-old Richard Gasquet is through to the semis for the first time since Cincinnati 2019, toppling Salvatore Caruso 7-6, 7-5 in just under two hours.

Richard fired 11 aces and faced only two break chances, suffering one break of serve and challenging the Italian to repeat that. Caruso served at 49% and gave his best to maintain in touch, losing serve twice in set number two to push the rival through. Salvatore fended off four break points in the third game of the opener, settling into a nice rhythm after that to reach a tie break. Gasquet clinched a mini-break at 4-4 following a terrible forehand from Caruso and fired two winners to close the set in style. The Frenchman opened a 5-2 lead in set number two, failing to serve for the match in game nine and bringing the Italian back into contention. Serving at 5-6, Salvatore sprayed a forehand mistake to hand the break and the win to Gasquet following an entertaining battle. 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3ltTMXA