No. 3 seed Marco Cecchinato eased to a semifinal win while unseeded Argentine Guido Pella fought his way to Sunday’s championship in Umag with a veteran performance.
Pella, No. 72 in the world, did not have his best form throughout the match, but he did at the big moments in his 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 victory over sixth seeded Robin Haase. He found his game after a nervy start in the first set, then later outclassed Haase — who double faulted seven times and hit barely half of first serves in play.
His first big moment in the final frame came on Haase’s serve at 2-3, when Pella slammed groundstrokes across the court, including a forehand just inside the baseline to set up three break points. He needed only the first, as Haase, firmly on the back foot, flung a backhand wide to move Pella ahead.
It was the culmination of an early push by the Argentine, who jumped ahead 0-30 and earned a break point in Haase’s previous service game. The 28-year-old continued to apply the pressure, earning two match points on the Dutchman’s serve. He converted the second on another loose Haase groundstroke, extinguishing the No. 6 seed in a set where Pella faced no break points and Haase put less than half of first serves in play.
Pella did not start in such strong fashion, dropping his serve at love to open the match. He recovered quickly, however, gradually raising his level until breaking back at 3-2, thanks in part to a rocketed cross-court backhand to set up break point. Two games later, he wore down the Dutchman on his third break point of the game and forced an errant groundstroke.
The two-time tour finalist, still seeking his first title, suddenly slipped after closing out the opening frame. Haase secured an early break and a second in ugly fashion after Pella struggled at the net, but it was the left-handed clay court specialist who found his form in the third.
Cecchinato, meanwhile, dropped just three games in a dominating 6-2, 6-1 victory over qualifier Marco Trungelliti. The Argentine, No. 188 in the world, broke Cecchinato in the opening game and jumped ahead 2-0 before the Italian rolled off 11 consecutive games. The first set was nonetheless competitive — six of the eight games featured break points — and Cecchinato fired groundstrokes to all corners of the court to win three consecutive Trungelliti service games.
The Argentine put only 55 percent of first serves in play and won a putrid four of 17 points on his second serve, allowing the Budapest champion — Cecchinato’s first career title — to coast into another clay court final.