Eighth seed Kevin Anderson once again came back from a set down and dug deep at the Hall of Fame Open, toppling Alexander Bublik on Saturday to reach his first ATP Tour final since 2019.
The 35-year-old South African dropped the first set of his quarter-final yesterday against Jack Sock before rallying to victory. He found himself having to go the distance again in the semi-finals against top seed Bublik, who raced out of the gates by claiming the first set and leading the second by a break.
Anderson continued to fight, serving 20 aces and winning 78 per cent (54/69) of points behind his first serve en route to a 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 victory. He awaits the winner of #NextGenATP Jenson Brooksby and seventh seed Jordan Thompson in his first final since winning Pune in 2019.
“It’s the biggest match of the week, and I’ve worked a long time to be back in a final,” Anderson said. “It’s been quite some time for me [since my last final], so it means a lot. I am going to enjoy this win, and I hope to be ready for tomorrow.”
Anderson had to put a sluggish start behind him as Bublik, the 2019 finalist in Newport, kept the ball low and went for the drop shot to great success. The Kazakh player broke twice in the first set, and kept the 6’8” South African on the move as he changed the direction of the ball with regularity.
Bublik looked set to keep cruising as he started the second set with an early break, but Anderson honed in on his opponent’s attackable second serves to get the break straight back. In the tie-break, Anderson built up a 4/0 lead and kept his nose in front to take them into a decider.
There was little to separate them in the third set, but Anderson stayed patient and waited for his opportunities. He finally got them late in the set at 5-5, as Bublik gave him some more looks at second serves and the eighth seed gladly teed off for winners. Anderson claimed the decisive break as Bublik fired two underarm serves down break point, resulting in a double fault. The two-time major finalist then served out the victory after two hours and 46 minutes.
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The former World No. 5, currently No. 113 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, grabbed a wild card into Newport knowing that a deep run could boost his chances of reaching the US Open main draw. Now, Anderson is eying a seventh tour-level title, and his first on grass courts.
“After Wimbledon I saw that I wasn’t going to be in the main draw [of the US Open], so I emailed the tournament [in Newport] and they were kind enough to give me a wild card,” he said. “I knew I had to make the semis in order to reach the main draw, that was the first step. Now I hope that tomorrow I can go one step further.”
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/3xMTUrD
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