TENNIS BRASIL OPEN – The dream continues for Italian qualifier Luca Vanni as he booked a place in the final of the Brasil Open 2015 in the same week that he achieved his first ever ATP Tour win. Bruno Bergareche Sans
The dream continues for Italian qualifier Luca Vanni as he booked a place in the final of the Brasil Open 2015 in the same week that he achieved his first ever ATP Tour win. The 29-year-old had to take on the crowd besides his opponent today as he came up against another player living a fairytale week, Joao Souza. With both players ranked outside the top 100, the opportunity to boost up the rankings was monumental and it was Vanni who dealt with the situation better, eventually coming out on top 6/4 6/7 6/4. It could have been a much smoother ride for the Italian as he served for the match at 5/4 in the second set, including two match points, but the situation slightly got to Vanni and Souza fought back, much to the delight of the local crowd, and took the set in a tie break. Vanni regained his composure in the final set, showing his grit and determination to come back from a break down and qualify for the final of the Brasil Open. This win means he is the first ever qualifier to reach the final of the event in its fifteen year history and becomes the third Italian to reach the final in the past four years after Filippo Volandri lost in the 2012 final and Paolo Lorenzi also fell at the final hurdle in 2014.
The only obstacle standing between Vanni rounding off an unforgettable week in Brazil is Pablo Cuevas. The Uruguayan will meet the Italian in the final after displaying his fine form once again against Santiago Giraldo in the semi finals. Cuevas comfortably sailed past the huge-hitting Giraldo 6/4 6/3 and will look to claim his third title on tour after winning in Bastad and Umag last year.
After Victor Estrella lived his own fairytale in Quito last week, Vanni will look to confirm that the Latin American swing is where dreams come true when he takes on Pablo Cuevas tomorrow for a place in the history books.
