Kremlin Cup semifinals in Moscow: Khachanov wins all-Russian semifinal against Medvedev:
Karen Khachanov claimed a 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 in the all-Russian semifinal against this year’s Sydney champion Danil Medvedev to advance to the final at the VTB Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Khachanov served at 73% and never faced a break point. He converted three of his six break points.
Earlier this year Khachanov lifted his second ATP title in Marseille and lost in the semifinal of the Rogers Cu in Montreal against Rafael Nadal. He also reached the third round at the US Open, where he lost to Nadal after a four-hour and 23-minute battle.
Khachanov earned his first break in the fourth game and served well in the next games to race out to a 5-1 lead after Medvedev made a backhand error. He served out the set 6-1 with a hold at 15 in the seventh game after 24 minutes.
Khachanov faced a come-back from his friend Medvedev in the second and third sets.
Medvedev saved a break point at the start of the second set. Khachanov brought up another break point in the 11th game, but Medvedev saved it with a service winner.
Medvedev hit a service winner on the seventh point with a backhand down the line winner to race out to a 6-2 lead in the breaker, but Khachanov came back by reeling off three consecutive points to claw his way back to 5-6. Medvedev claimed the final point to clinch the second-set tie-break.
Khachanov hit a forehand return on break point, as Medvedev was serving at 0-1 30-40. Khachanov held on his next service games and served out the match at love after 1 hour and 46 minutes with a service winner in the ninth game.
Khachanov sets up a final against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, who edged Andreas Seppi 7-5 7-5 taking a re-match for the recent defeat against the Italian veteran in the Shanghai Masters 1000 tournament last week.
Mannarino faced the first two break points of the match at 2-2 in the opening set, but held on his serve. The set went on serve until the 12th game when Mannarino got the decisive break at deuce to win the set 7-5 after Seppi wasted a game point.
The second set also went on serve until the 12th game, when Seppi made a double fault at 5-6 30-30, when he was serving to stay in the match. Mannarino broke serve to close out the match, when Seppi netted his forehand.
Antwerp European Open: Monfils sets up final against Edmund:
Frenchman Gael Monfils fired 10 aces and converted three of his five break points to beat Diego Schwartzman 6-3 6-4 to set up a final against Kyle Edmund in Antwerp.
Monfils broke serve on his second chance to open up a 3-0 lead. Schwartzman broke back in the fifth game to close the gap to 2-3, but Monfils broke again in the sixth game for 4-2 and never looked back in his next two service games to take the first set. Monfils needed a break in the fifth game to win the second set 6-4.
Edmund prevented an all-French final by beating Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-4 in one hour and 17 minutes in the other semifinal. The British player beat the Frenchman for the third time in their four head-to-head matches.
Edmund has continued his good period of form after reaching the semifinal in Beijing and the quarter final in Shanghai. The Australian Open semifinalist saved all five break points in the third game of the first set and broke serve once in each set. Gasquet fended off nine of the eleven break points he faced.
Edmund held serve at 15 with an ace in the first game and broke serve with a forehand winner to open up a 2-0 lead. Edmund fended off five break points in the third game for 3-0 and held his next service games to close out the first set 6-3.
Gasquet fended off three break points in the sixth game, but Edmund broke serve in the ninth game with a service winner. Edmund dropped just seven points in five service games in the second set. He broke the Frenchman at love in the third game. Gasquet saved two match points on his serve at 3-5, but Edmund hit four winners in the 10th game to seal the win.