Tennis News

Following strong showings throughout the week, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Andreas Seppi will meet in the final of the Zagreb Open to crown a new champion in the Croatian tournament. While the crowd would have rather cheered on their hometown hero Marin Cilic, they will get to witness the sixth meeting between these two talented competitors. Seppi leads the head-to-head series 5-0 and will look to remain undefeated en route to his first title since 2012.

Watch the final match here: Garcia-Lopez v Seppi Live Stream

Few expected to see Marcos Baghdatis in the semi-final stage of an ATP World Tour event again, and his run came to an end at the hands of Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. The Spaniard defeated his Cypriot opponent 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the final in Zagreb.

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“I am really happy to be in the final,” said the World No. 33. “I didn’t start well. I was a bit nervous. Then I started to play much better with good rallies from the baseline. He made a few mistakes with his forehand which is not his best shot. I was able to break him twice at 4-4 (in both sets). I look forward to being in the final tomorrow.”

World No. 41 Andreas Seppi needed 90 minutes to conclude the second semi-final in Zagreb and defeat Marcel Granollers in straight sets 7-6(5), 6-1.

“It was not an easy match,” Seppi said. “I was a break down in the first set. We were both tight but then I managed to play much better in the second set.

“It is never easy to play a tie-break but I served really well. I was able to break immediately at the beginning of the second set and I tried to be more aggressive with my forehand. Winning in two sets is good for my confidence.”

This marks the sixth time that Seppi and Garcia-Lopez will meet on the professional tour and could turn out to be as lopsided as the head-to-head record shows. However, Garcia-Lopez has looked phenomenal this season and could swing that momentum in his favour if he continues this sort of form.

Prediction: Andreas Seppi in Three Sets

34-year-old Victor Estrella Burgos is looking to become the oldest first-time title winner on the ATP World Tour in the Open Era when he clashes with Feliciano Lopez in the final of the Ecuador Open in Quito. This marks the second time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Burgos leading the head to head series 1-0.

Watch the final match here: Lopez v Estrella Burgos Live Stream

Talented Spaniard Feliciano Lopez took part in a surprisingly long match – not because of the competitiveness of the encounter, but because the lights went out due to a power outage that led to a three-hour delay. However, he eventually got past Fernando Verdasco 7-6(5), 7-6(1) to reach the final.

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“It was a crazy match,” Lopez said. “In the first set tie-break, he made a few unforced errors with his serve, and I won the set. He was dominating the second set, I thought he had it… I had already made up my mind that I was going to play a third set, but later there were a few errors, a few good balls, and the match got balanced again. “I think that it will be a very complicated match,” Lopez added regarding the final.

Up against No. 72 ranked Thomaz Bellucci, Victor Estrella Burgos earned a 7-6(5), 7-5 victory to advance to the final of the Quito tournament.

“I think that I’ve been able to manage my emotions well,” Estrella Burgos said. “I hope that tomorrow I’ll be good physically so that I can play my game and try to win the match. I know that I have a lot of chances to win the tournament, and I’m very positive about it.”

This is undoubtedly the most intriguing final on Sunday – at least from a storyline perspective. Victor Estrella Burgos has the opportunity to win his first ever career title on the ATP World Tour, and could do so against an opponent he has already defeated previously last season. It will be interesting to see if he can get past the final obstacle this week.

“[Estrella Burgos] has been playing great. He plays very well in this conditions, and he’s been performing really well all week.”

Prediction: Feliciano Lopez in Three Sets

Following a week of entertaining action, the final of the Montpellier Open is scheduled to take place on Sunday afternoon, and will feature two players who last met in the semi-final stage of this very event last year: Richard Gasuqet and Jerzy Janowicz. This marks the fourth time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Gasquet leading the head to head series 2-1.

Watch the final match here: Janowicz v Gasquet Live Stream

In a battle between two of the top Frenchman on the tour, Gasquet managed to avenge his earlier loss to Gael Monfils by defeating him in straight sets to advance to the final. Gasquet won the match 6-4, 6-3, which means he will arrive in the final without conceding a set at any point during the week.

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“It was a good match,” the Beziers native said. “I knew I had to be solid. I managed to save some break points at 3-3 in the first set. I also played a good second set. I was able to play well when I served for the match and I handled the pressure really well.”

In a tough contest that lasted three sets, Janowicz managed to get past Joao Sousa 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-1. The contest lasted 1 hour and 53 minutes and saw the Polish no. 1 fire 14 aces en route to the victory.

“I’m happy I won this match. I didn’t play my best tennis today,” said Janowicz. “I knew he would be a dangerous opponent. He played very well.

“I was so close to go home during the first match; I saved six match points. So I’m extremely happy to play the final tomorrow.”

This marks the fourth time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Gasquet leading the series 2-1. Their last encounter took place in the semi-final stage of this tournament last year, which Gasquet won with a pair of tiebreaks. Given that the Pole’s sole victory over the Frenchman took place on clay, there is little doubt that Gasquet will hold the advantage on Sunday.

Prediction: Richard Gasquet in Three Sets