Granollers/Zeballos Reach Cincinnati Final
Second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos overcame Fabio Fognini of Italy and Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador 6-3, 6-4 Saturday at the Western & Southern Open to reach their second ATP Masters 1000 final of the season.
The Spanish-Argentine tandem, which captured their third Masters 1000 title in Madrid in May, did not face a break point, winning 82 per cent (27/33) of their first-service points to advance in 69 minutes.
Granollers and Zeballos have yet to drop a set in Cincinnati and will compete in their fourth tour-level final of the season on Sunday, having also reached the championship match at Wimbledon last month and in Acapulco in March.
[FOLLOW 1000]They will meet Steve Johnson and Austin Krajicek after the Americans battled past third seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah 7-6(5), 6-7(8), 10-3 in two hours and one minute.
In a high-quality Match Tie-break, Johnson raised his level to lift the unseeded pair into the final as they team for the first time this season. Johnson and Krajicek last competed in 2020 at the Western & Southern Open, when it was held in New York, reaching the semi-finals.
Johnson and Krajicek hit four aces and saved the one break point they faced to ensure they did not fall at the same stage this year. Earlier this season Krajicek advanced to the final in Newport (w/Pospisil), while Johnson enjoyed a run to the championship match in Atlanta (w/Thompson) earlier this month.