Guillermo Garcia Lopez, this year winner in Zagreb, fought back from a set down to beat Gael Monfils for the first time on clay with 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 6-2. Garcia Lopez fought off one of the two break points he faced and converted on four of his 14 break point chances. Garcia Lopez will be looking to win his fifth career title after Kizbuel 2009, Bangkok 2010, Casablanca 2014 and Zagreb 2015.
Monfils had to save a break point in the second game but he saved it. The match went on serve until the sixth game when Garcia Lopez put pressure on Monfils and got the first break of the match. Monfils broke back in the ninth game. Garcia Lopez earned a set point in a hard-fought 12th game. Monfils forced the first set to the tie-break where he won easily with 7-2.
Garcia Lopez converted on his fourth break point opportunity. The Spanish player earned five break point chances in the fifth game but Monfils saved them avoiding a dangerous break. Monfils could not break back and Garcia Lopez cruised to 6-4.
Garcia Lopez broke serve twice in the third and in the fifth games of the decider en route to clinching the win with 6-2.
Garcia Lopez set up the final against this year’s Auckland champion Jiri Vesely in the Nastase Tiriac Trophy in Bucharest. Vesely came back from a set down to edge past Daniel Gimeno Traver with 2-6 6-1 6-4 in the other semifinal, which was a re-match of the recent Casablanca semifinal won by the Spanish player.
Gimeno Traver broke serve in the opening game but Vesely broke straight game. In the next game Vesely did not manage to hold his serve. Gimeno Traver broke serve again in the seventh game en route to winning the first set with 6-2.
Vesely bounced back in the second set and broke serve in the second game of the second set. Vesely opened up a 3-0 lead before breaking serve again in the sixth game en route to cruising to winning the second set with 6-1.
Gimeno Traver faced another break point in the first game of the decider but she saved it but the Czech player broke two games later before holding his serve without problems. Vesely did not look back and served for the match at 5-4 clinching the win.
Vesely converted on four of his five break point chances to clinch the win in one hour and 43 minutes. The 21-year-old Czech player has reached his third semifinal of the year after his win over Ivo Karlovic in the quarter finals.