Estoril Open: Cameron Norrie beats Marin Cilic to reach final
Britain’s Cameron Norrie reaches the final of the Estoril Open with a straight-set victory over former world number three Marin Cilic.
Britain’s Cameron Norrie reaches the final of the Estoril Open with a straight-set victory over former world number three Marin Cilic.
Cameron Norrie added another chapter to his impressive 2021 success story on Saturday at the Millennium Estoril Open.
The World No. 50 withstood 16 aces and saved five of the six break points he faced to defeat former World No. 3 Marin Cilic 7-6(5), 7-5 for a place in his second tour-level championship match. Norrie is seeking his first ATP Tour title, more than two years after finishing as a runner-up at the 2019 ASB Classic in Auckland.
“I was really tough. I started a little bit slow and managed to ease my way into the match. [I] played really good when break point down and went after it,” Norrie said in his on-court interview. “[Marin] was serving great and it was really tricky to get his first serve back… I am fortunate to get through and I am just happy to be in my second final.”
This is the latest step in a remarkable 2021 campaign for the 25-year-old. Norrie has compiled 18 tour-level victories this season, which ties him with third-placed Jannik Sinner on the 2021 ATP Tour wins leaderboard. Only Monte-Carlo finalists Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev own more tour-level wins this year.
2021 ATP Tour Wins Leaderboard
| Rank | Player | Win-Loss Record |
| T1 | Stefanos Tsitsipas | 26 |
| Andrey Rublev | 26 | |
| T3 | Cameron Norrie | 18 |
| Jannik Sinner | 18 | |
| T5 | Daniil Medvedev | 17 |
| Aslan Karatsev | 17 | |
“I am playing good. I am competing really well and I am just really happy with myself,” Norrie said. “I am keeping a really consistent level, even on days [when] I am not quite feeling [my best]. I am still digging in there and making it physical and playing on my terms, being the one dictating points. I think that is the reason why I am having a bit of success. I just want to keep improving and keep getting better.”
The unseeded Brit attacked Cilic’s forehand and benefitted from poorly-timed double faults from the 2014 US Open champion to recover from 0-3 down in the first set. Norrie claimed the only break of the second set in the final game of the match, when he struck a forehand winner up the line to clinch victory. The 6’2” left-hander has defeated consecutive seeds to reach the final, following his quarter-final win against second seed Cristian Garin.
Norrie will meet Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the final. The Spaniard recovered from a break down in both sets to beat countryman Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1, 6-4. The 33-year-old converted five of his six break points to advance to his 10th ATP Tour final (2-7) after 77 minutes.
Ramos-Vinolas’ victory against Davidovich Fokina extended his lead at the top of the 2021 tour-level clay-court wins list. The World No. 46 owns 15 victories on the surface this season, six clear of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Pablo Carreno Busta and Federico Delbonis, who are tied in second place with nine clay wins this year.
Ramos-Vinolas will attempt to extend his unbeaten 2-0 ATP Head2Head record against Norrie in the final. The two-time ATP Tour titlist won both his previous encounters against Norrie on clay.
“I am really happy… I am fighting a lot [and I am] tactically [doing] good,” Ramos-Vinolas said in his post-match interview. “Tomorrow is another match, another day and I have a really tough opponent who [has been] playing really good tennis [throughout] the season. Last week, he played three good matches and this week he has beaten very good players. I think tomorrow will be very difficult.”
Did You Know?
Norrie is aiming to become the first player to win both the singles and doubles titles at the Millennium Estoril Open. The Brit captured the doubles trophy alongside countryman Kyle Edmund in 2018.
Jan-Lennard Struff bounced back from a slow start on Saturday to book a place in his first ATP Tour final at the BMW Open. The seventh-seeded German broke a seven-match losing streak in semi-finals with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Belarusian qualifier Ilya Ivashka in 87 minutes.
“I am happy to have reached my first final on home soil in Germany and I will try my best tomorrow,” said the 31-year-old from Warstein, a 360-mile car ride north of Munich.
[WATCH LIVE 1]Struff will next challenge fifth-seeded Georgia Nikoloz Basilashvili in Sunday’s final. Struff is tied at 2-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against Basilashvili, who won their recent Sardegna Open quarter-final clash 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Ivashka raced out to a 3-0 lead, before Struff started to find his service rhythm and forehand range. Struff, who saved three break points at 4-3, closed out the 48-minute opener with an unreturned serve.
Ivashka showed fighting spirit by saving three break points in the opening game of the second set, but Struff make the breakthrough two games later with a powerful backhand. The German gained a 4-1 advantage with a forehand return winner and didn’t look back.
The 27-year-old Ivashka, who beat two-time former champion and top seed Alexander Zverev on Friday, had also been attempting to reach his first ATP Tour final.
In the second semi-final, Basilashvili swept past second-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-2 in 71 minutes for a place in his seventh ATP Tour final (4-2 record).
Basilashvili, who captured his fourth title in March at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha (d. Bautista Agut), won nine straight games from 0-1 in the first set to establish a 3-0 lead in the second set. Ruud, who was appearing in his 10th tour-level semi-final, is now 12-5 on the season.
“I am feeling good and I am feeling fresh,” said Basilashvili. “I am looking forward to the final. I feel confident here and the court suits me, so it will be an interesting match tomorrow as we played recently in Italy.”
This morning, Ruud completed a 6-3, 6-4 quarter-final victory over eighth-seeded Australian John Millman in one hour and 31 minutes, which had been interrupted by rain on Friday. Basilashvili also overcame Slovakian lucky loser Norbert Gombos 6-4, 6-4 in 84 minutes.
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic enter the Mutua Madrid Open with an unbeaten 9-0 record in ATP Masters 1000 events. The second seeds will attempt to extend that run in the Spanish capital with their third trophy of the year at the level.
This year’s Miami and Monte-Carlo champions have been in peak form throughout the year, with 29 wins from 32 matches and five trophies from six finals. The Croatian pair will open its Madrid title bid against John Peers and Michael Venus or Max Purcell and Luke Saville in the second round.
The opening two Masters 1000 events of the year produced identical finals, with Mektic and Pavic defeating Daniel Evans and Neal Skupski in both the Miami and Monte-Carlo finals. That will not be possible at La Caja Magica, with the two teams both featuring in the bottom quarter of the draw.
View Madrid Doubles Draw
Evans and Skupski will meet Marcelo Demoliner and Daniil Medvedev in their tournament opener and will face the winner of Wesley Koolhof and Lukasz Kubot’s first-round clash against Greek wild cards Petros Tsitsipas and Stefanos Tsitsipas. The two teams that contested this year’s Australian Open final — Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek and Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury — also feature in the bottom half of the draw.
Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah will attempt to collect their third trophy of the season in Madrid. The top seeds enter the tournament on a four-match unbeaten run, having not dropped a set en route to the Barcelona title last week. The Colombians will face Spanish wild cards Marc Lopez and Jaume Munar or Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov in the second round.
Eight seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares join Cabal and Farah in the top quarter. The Great Ocean Road Open champions will meet 2017 champion Marcelo Melo and two-time winner Jean-Julien Rojer (2016, ’19) in the first round. The winner of that encounter will face 2020 Rolex Paris Masters champions Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hubert Hurkacz or Tim Puetz and Alexander Zverev in the second round.
Last year’s Rome champions Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos and sixth seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut lead the way in the second quarter. Granollers and Zeballos await the winners of the blockbuster first-round clash between two-time Masters 1000 finalists Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev and Fabio Fognini and Diego Schwartzman. Herbert and Mahut will meet 2019 Roland Garros finalists Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin in their first match.
World No. 4 Dominic Thiem, who will make a welcome return to the ATP Tour at the Mutua Madrid Open, is refreshed and ready to compete again after overcoming a knee injury.
“The break was good,” said Thiem on Saturday. “I also needed it. But now it’s also time to be back. I think Madrid is a great place for me [and] I have only good memories of that tournament. Conditions are amazing for my game… I’m happy to be back here and hope that I can also play well.”
The Austrian star has played only four tournaments this year, compiling a 5-4 match record, but is looking to recapture his best form in the Spanish capital. He finished as runner-up in 2017 and 2018, and this week limited crowds will return at the ATP Masters 1000 clay-court tournament.
“It’s so nice,” said Thiem, who will play a qualifier in his first match. “I was just driving in to the site for the first time, saw people in the stands, which was pretty new again for me… I can’t wait to play in front of people again.
“I [have been] preparing in Austria, doing lot of physical practice, [a] lot of tennis practice. I think that I’m on a good level…. I’m probably in better shape than 12 months ago.”
The 27-year-old has been following ATP Tour action and believes that Rafael Nadal, the player he lost to in the 2017 and 2018 Roland Garros finals, is once again the player to beat.
“I think he’s improving his game constantly,” said Thiem. “He [has] improved every part of his game. That’s also what you need to do to be successful every year. That’s why he’s such a great role model.
“My goal is to get a lot of matches against top players until Roland Garros, to give myself the best chance possible there. Once I arrive at Roland Garros, I want to be in the best physical shape, in the best tennis shape, so I give myself the best chances to go deep there.”
Casper Ruud and Nikoloz Basilashvili will meet for the first time later on Saturday after both completed rain-interrupted quarter-finals at the BMW Open in Munich.
Second seed Ruud earned a 6-3, 6-4 victory over eighth-seeded Australian John Millman in one hour and 31 minutes, having resumed the match by winning the first three games of the second set. The Norwegian, who is now 12-4 on the season, is through to his 10th ATP Tour semi-final.
“It was difficult,” said Ruud, who reached the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals two weeks ago. “John is a very good player, who fights for every point. Luckily, I won the first set yesterday before the rain fell heavily. I re-started well and I will now get some food and be ready to play in the semi-finals. I will give everything I have.”
[WATCH LIVE 1]Fifth seed Basilashvili, who resumed his match at 5-4 in the first set against Slovakian lucky loser Norbert Gombos, won 6-4, 6-4 in 84 minutes. The Georgian clinched his fourth ATP Tour title in March at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha (d. Harris), having saved one match point against Roger Federer in the quarter-finals.
Seventh-seeded German Jan-Lennard Struff will be attempting to book his place in a first ATP Tour final on Saturday when he plays Belarusian qualifier Ilya Ivashka in the first Munich semi-final. Ruud and Basilashvili will play their semi-final not before 3pm local time.
In the sand, rocks and surf, Alexandr Dolgopolov put in the pre-season hard yards, developing his core strength at the peak of his powers. There was not a dumbbell or gymnasium in sight, just sand dunes and sea for fitness, rocks for strength work and a rented house to retreat to in Horseshoe Bay.
Nine years ago, southern Australia’s media all came to Port Elliot, south of Adelaide, to witness Jack Reader’s charge, who’d risen from outside of the Top 300 and into the Top 20 within the space of three years. A Fox Sports television crew filmed his every move one December afternoon, but when the director said cut, Reader mischievously shouted out, “‘Sascha, we want you to run along the rocks again’ … ‘Hey Sascha, we want you to run up the stairs again…’”
It was a ruse, and the crew pretended to film Dolgopolov’s every move. “I got an extra 30 minutes out of him,” Reader told ATPTour.com last week. “If they had stopped, he wouldn’t have done it. I conned him. I only told him the truth yesterday. He thought they had filmed the whole time… I said, ‘They didn’t, but I didn’t want to tell you.’”
It was an episode that the 32-year-old, who today retires from a sport after failing to overcome a right wrist injury sustained in May 2018, would have fumed at — yet secretly enjoyed — had he known at the time. For Dolgopolov always competed with a sense of fun, to entertain fans and, together with Reader, a full-time father and travelling companion from 2008 to 2012, the pair enjoyed some of their greatest moments: a run to the 2011 Australian Open quarter-finals, a career-high of No. 13 in the FedEx ATP Rankings one year later, and plenty of off-court high-jinx.
“I hope I was fun to watch,” Dolgopolov told ATPTour.com. “I never broke any tennis records, but I hope I played entertaining tennis for fans. My wrist injury happened in Australia [three years ago] after mis-hitting a return in practice. I felt pain, but nothing serious. I reached the Australian Open third round and returned to Europe, but I never realised that it would be career ending. I’ve tried for a couple of years, had two surgeries and I still have pain.”
Having always believed that he’d first picked up a racquet at the age of three, Dolgopolov recently found out, by virtue of his mother, Elena, digitalising old video footage, that he’d in fact done so one day after his first birthday, when his father, Oleksandr Dolgopolov Sr., was coaching former World No. 4 Andrei Medvedev. So by the time the pony-tailed Ukrainian took his first steps as a touring player, he was already a seasoned traveller. Reader, who first watched a 16-year-old Dolgopolov beat his Australian charge at an ITF Futures event in Cremona, Italy, remembers, “He was second to none, what he did with the ball and his racquet head was unbelievable. I didn’t know about his head if he got into difficulties, but his athletic ability and game was second to none.”
Little fazed the 5’11” right-hander, when his mind was settled. Dolgopolov first made a significant breakthrough at Melbourne Park in 2011, with five-set comeback wins over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and World No. 4 Robin Soderling en route to his maiden Grand Slam quarter-final, which ended at the hands of Andy Murray. “I needed to be in a good mood to play my best tennis,” admitted Dolgopolov, who finished in the Top 70 for eight straight seasons (2010-2017). “It was as simple as that. Sometimes I was tired or in a bad mood and I really needed to want to compete. I needed to be healthy. If I wanted to compete, I always had good results at the start of the year. It was the will to fight and compete, and sometimes that didn’t happen. It was a feeling.”
Dolgopolov enjoyed problem-solving and captured three ATP Tour singles titles from nine finals, including at the 2011 Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag (d. Cilic), when his rapping skills entertained fans off the court. There were further trophies at the 2012 Citi Open in Washington, D.C. (d. Haas), when he “found it initially impossible to control the tennis balls in practice”; and later, when he “played great tennis” two-and-a-half years after right knee surgery on a ruptured meniscus, at the 2017 Argentina Open in Buenos Aires (d. Nishikori).
Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images
Reader believes that Dolgopolov could have risen higher than his career-high of No. 13 on 16 January 2012, but it wasn’t to be. “We once had a conversation that killed me,” said Reader. “‘You’ve got to No. 13 with raw talent and guidance, but if you treat your body and diet better we can go further,’ I said. Sascha responded, “So do I need to work harder Jack?” And that was a kick in the n***. If he’d started to do things like the big boys do, he could have gotten higher.
“We had a lot of fun together, including a memorable road trip from Kiev to Moscow and St. Petersburg in his Subaru, which picked up problems. If he was having a good time and enjoying himself, then he’d play well. If he went onto court with problems, he couldn’t play. With Sascha and I, I think I kept him smiling. I gave him a long leash and he started to chill. He’d sometimes look up at me with a smile in matches. His hand-eye coordination was ridiculous.”
Reader continues to remain in regular contact with Dolgopolov, long after their five-season partnership came to an end in October 2012. There were later two ATP Masters 1000 semi-final runs — at the 2014 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, when Dolgopolov beat then World No. 1 Rafael Nadal 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) in the third round, and, as a qualifier, at the 2015 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, where the Ukrainian experienced perhaps his toughest defeat. “I had a really good chance against Novak as I led by a set and I was up 3/0 in the second set tie-break and at 5/4, serving,” said Dolgopolov, who recorded 10 Top 10 victories in his career. “I had all the chances that day, but I didn’t win the match.”
Dolgopolov also captured his only doubles title at 2011 Indian Wells with Xavier Malisse, when they won all five matches in Match Tie-breaks against a who’s who of Top 10 talent and exceptional doubles teams. “That was super funny as we entered 10 minutes before the on-site sign-in closed,” said Dolgopolov. “We won five matches that were completely unbelievable. The draw was tough and we beat Roger [Federer] and Stan [Wawrinka] in the final.”
When he played Djokovic on 14 May 2018 at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, Dolgopolov had no idea that it would be his final professional match. He underwent right wrist surgery three months later and began his recovery. Another surgery followed…
Today, having spent all his life in tennis, don’t expect Dolgopolov to return to the sport anytime soon. The Ukrainian will continue to indulge his love for cars — he currently has a Nissan GT-R for racing and a Porsche Cayenne for every-day driving — but he expects to return soon to Kiev, to be closer to his family. “I am not going to return to the sport over the next five or 10 years” said Dolgopolov. “I need to get away from tennis balls. I first picked up a racquet when I was barely walking. I now need some time off from the sport. At the moment, I think I will pursue a business career.”
At ATP Masters 1000 level, no win is taken for granted. But Friday’s release of the Mutua Madrid Open draw has thrown up some potential mouth watering second-round showdowns that have grabbed the attention of tennis fans.
Ahead of the start of play Sunday, ATPTour.com looks at five possible second-round blockbusters.
[7] Diego Schwartzman vs. Aslan Karatsev
If Karatsev can first get past Ugo Humbert, he’ll get to face Schwartzman for the second time in three months. The Russian, who is fresh from an upset of World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in Belgrade, took out Schwartzman in the third round of the Australian Open in straight sets during a memorable breakthrough run to the semi-finals. Both Karatsev and Schwartzman have won a title this year (the Russian in Dubai and the Argentine in Buenos Aires). World No. 9 Schwartzman will have points to defend after having a stellar 2020 clay season when he reached the final in Rome, complete with a quarter-final win over Rafael Nadal, and the semi-finals of Roland Garros.
[8] Matteo Berrettini vs. Fabio Fognini
Fognini will take on a qualifier in the first round and awaiting him if he prevails will be his compatriot Berrettini. The level of play and intensity will be high with both Italians inside of the Top 20 of the Fedex ATP Race to Turin. They’ll be eager to pick up points in Madrid and appear on court at home in Turin when the Italian city hosts the Nitto ATP Finals in November. Berrettini, with a Fedex ATP Ranking of No. 10, just won the ATP 250 in Belgrade (d Karatsev).
[15] Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Casper Ruud
#NextGenATP star Auger-Aliassime is the higher ranked player in this first-round bout but Ruud has been playing the best tennis of his career in recent weeks. The 22-year-old Norwegian just reached the semi-finals in Monte-Carlo with wins over Schwartzman, Pablo Carreno Busta and Fognini. Auger-Aliassime will be looking to have a deep run with new coach Toni Nadal in his corner. In his most recent event in Barcelona, the Canadian picked up wins over Lorenzo Musetti and Denis Shapovalov to reach the quarter-finals.
[2] Daniil Medvedev vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
Assuming Davidovich Fokina wins his first round against a qualifier, he’ll be up for a big challenge against Medvedev. Davidovich Fokina is continuing his upward trajectory in the rankings, cracking the Top 50 for the first time this week. He’s into the semi-finals in Estoril and will have four clay tournaments under his belt while Medvedev hasn’t played since Miami. The 25-year-old missed Monte-Carlo after testing positive for COVID-19 and will be eager to get back on court. The next few weeks will prove crucial for the Russian: He has very few points to defend and could turn up the heat on Djokovic for the prized World No. 1 mantle.
[1] Rafael Nadal vs. Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz first has a big task against Adrian Mannarino but if he were to win, awaiting him in the second round is five-time Madrid champion Nadal. It’s huge incentive for the 17-year-old Spaniard as he would be facing the World No. 2 for the first time. Nadal will be well-rested after taking a week off following his 12th Barcelona title triumph.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, the present and future faces of Spanish men’s tennis, could meet in the second round at this year’s Mutua Madrid Open.
Five-time champion Nadal will meet the winner of #NextGenATP Alcaraz’s first-round encounter against Adrian Mannarino. No matter how talented 17-year-old Alcaraz may be, a first-round challenge against wily French veteran Mannarino is not to be taken lightly. A Madrid clash against Nadal would be a dream for Alcaraz, but the Murcia native’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, will make sure his charge does not look past his first-round opponent.
View Madrid Draw
Nadal is aiming to capture his first title in the Spanish capital since 2017, when he defeated Dominic Thiem in the final. The Austrian joins Nadal in the top half of this year’s draw.
Nadal enters the tournament fresh from his 12th title run at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. The World No. 2 saved a championship point in a dramatic three-hour, 38-minute final last week to end Stefanos Tsitsipas’ 9-0 unbeaten start to the European clay swing. Tsitsipas features in the bottom half of the draw alongside second seed Daniil Medvedev.
Alcaraz is not the only #NextGenATP talent in Nadal’s section of the draw. Miami runner-up Jannik Sinner, the 14th seed, is the first seed the 35-time ATP Masters 1000 champion could meet in Madrid. Acapulco titlist Alexander Zverev and Miami champion Hubert Hurkacz are also in Nadal’s quarter of the draw.
Third seed Thiem will make his first appearance since the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in March. The two-time Madrid runner-up will face a qualifier in the second round and is joined in his section by Grigor Dimitrov, the man who ended his Australian Open campaign.
Thiem is projected to face Monte-Carlo runner-up Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals. Rublev may need to get past ninth seed Roberto Bautista Agut to reach that stage. Rublev and Bautista Agut, who could meet in the third round, played one of the standout matches of this year’s European clay swing in Monte-Carlo. Rublev needed two hours and 44 minutes to overcome the Spaniard 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-3 at the same stage in the Principality.
Medvedev will contest his first clay-court match of the season against Estoril semi-finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or a qualifier. The Russian, who owns a 17-3 record this year, will be seeking his first win at the Masters 1000 event after first-round losses in 2018 and 2019. Medvedev shares the bottom quarter with a trio of 2021 clay titlists: Belgrade winner Matteo Berrettini, Marbella champion Pablo Carreno Busta and Santiago titlist Cristian Garin.
Monte-Carlo champion Tsitsipas will attempt to continue his impressive start to the European clay swing in Madrid. The FedEx ATP Race To Turin leader will face Doha champion Nikoloz Basilashvili or Benoit Paire in his first match.
The Greek headlines the third quarter alongside last year’s Rome runner-up Diego Schwartzman, 11th seed Denis Shapovalov and #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. In one of the standout first-round matches, Auger-Aliassime will meet Monte-Carlo semi-finalist Casper Ruud for a spot in the second round.
Schwartzman could meet red-hot Russian Aslan Karatsev, who defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic en route to the Serbia Open final, in his tournament opener. Karatsev will face Estoril quarter-finalist Ugo Humbert in the first round.
Ilya Ivashka earned the biggest win of his career on Friday at the BMW Open when he defeated World No. 6 Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals.
The Belarusian broke Zverev’s serve to stay in the match at 4-5 in the second set and won nine of the final 12 games of the match to clinch a 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-3 victory on Centre Court. Ivashka capitalised on double faults late in the second set from the two-time champion and claimed the crucial break of the decider at 4-3 to earn his maiden Top 10 win.
“This match was really tough for me and I was [close to losing] in the second set,” Ivashka said in his post-match interview. “I managed well and I tried stay in and fight until the last moment to see if he would give [me] chances and it happened.”
Ivashka owns a 6-2 record on clay this season, following runs to the AnyTech365 Andalucia Open quarter-finals in Marbella and the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell second round. Last week in Barcelona, the World No. 107 won three matches from qualifying and pushed eventual champion Rafael Nadal to a third set.
“I just came to play match after match,” Ivashka said. “I knew that I had played well [in the] previous weeks… but I was not expecting [this run].”
Ivashka is through to his second ATP Tour semi-final, more than three years after his run to the final four at the 2018 Open 13 Provence in Marseille. The 27-year-old will face Jan-Lennard Struff for a spot in the championship match, with both players attempting to reach their first ATP Tour final. Struff won the pair’s only previous ATP Head2Head meeting last year.
“[Struff] is a great player,” Ivashka said. “We played one time in Davis Cup last year and it was a good match. He played unbelievable.”
