Kecmanovic Sails Into Milan Semi-finals

With a semi-final spot on the line at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, Miomir Kecmanovic found a new gear on Thursday. The Serbian saved two set points en route to a convincing 4-1, 4-1, 4-3(6) win over Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Kecmanovic earned his place in the last four after winning the first two sets against Davidovich Fokina, but continued to fire winners from all parts of the court to prevail in 58 minutes. The Serbian finished with a 2-1 record in round-robin action to join top-seeded Aussie Alex de Minaur as the players advancing out of Group A.

“I was a lot calmer than yesterday. I was happy to play well and be stable out there,” Kecmanovic said. “There was definitely a lot of pressure on this match today and I think I handled it better than he did. I have a bit more experience on Tour playing big matches and that helped me a lot today.”

Awaiting him in the semi-finals is Italian Jannik Sinner, who advanced out of Group B on Thursday. This will be their first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting against each other.

”It’s going to be tough playing him, especially here [in Milan],” Kecmanovic said. “I’ll just do my best and we’ll see how it goes.” 

Read More: 5 Things To Know About Kecmanovic

Kecmanovic was in firm control during the first two sets against Davidovich Fokina. After dropping the opening game, the 20-year-old went on a seven-game run as his opponent struggled to find the range on his shots. Kecmanovic was particularly dominant in his service games, landing 83 per cent of his first-serves (19/23) and dropping just three points.

Davidovich Fokina began to utilise more variety in his shots in the third set and played himself into a tie-break. An acrobatic overhead smash gave the Spaniard two set points at 6/4, but he couldn’t convert and missed two consecutive backhands. Two points later, a forehand error from Davidovich Fokina wrapped up the match after 58 minutes.