Washington (AFP) – Botic van de Zandschulp worked overtime Friday to reach the final of the ATP hardcourt tournament in Winston-Salem, beating France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 7-5 in the semis of the rain-hit event. Van de Zandschulp broke Mpetshi Perricard three times, scattering six aces over the match lasting one hour and 36 minutes.
Earlier Friday, he’d put the finishing touches on a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 quarter-final win over China’s Bu Yunchaokete, which had been halted Thursday night by rain. “It was a pretty quick two hours (between matches), but I think I managed well tonight,” said van de Zandschulp, who will be seeking a first ATP title on Saturday in his third appearance in a final.
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The Dutch player will face Marton Fucsovics in the title match. The Hungarian advanced by walkover when American Sebastian Korda withdrew because of illness. Fucsovics is chasing a third ATP title. He lifted the trophy in Bucharest last year, six years after a triumph in Geneva.
Korda was playing his first tournament since Roland Garros because of a stress fracture in his right shin, but the 25-year-old said it wasn’t the injury that prompted him to pull out. “Woke up a bit under the weather and thought it was going to be difficult to play today,” he said in a social media post. “Been a long three months recovering and want to stay on track.”
The tournament is the final men’s tune-up for the US Open, where singles play begins on Sunday. Van de Zandschulp, who stunned Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz in the second round at Flushing Meadows last year, is due to launch his campaign at the final Grand Slam of the year against 11th-seeded Holger Rune. Fucsovics will also be looking for a title to provide a pre-US Open boost. He faces Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the first round in New York, where Korda and Bu are also in the field.
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