Vienna (AFP)
Matteo Berrettini failed in the semi-finals in Vienna but Gael Monfils failed to take advantage of the defeat of his most serious competitor in the race for the Masters: the French N.1 was also down Saturday against Diego Schwartzman (6-3, 6-2).
To reach the final of the tournament ATP 500 Austrian, which will oppose the Argentinian Schwartzman on Sunday N.5 world, the Austrian Dominic Thiem, would have allowed the Parisian 33 years to get closer to Berrettini, which occupies the eighth place at the " Race".
This is the last rank synonymous with access to the "Masters tournament". Monfils was 13th in this ranking before the Viennese tournament.
But the French N.1 has yielded to the Argentinian Schwartzman, ranked just behind him at the "Race" (14th) and who clings to his little hope of being for the first time of the trip to London (10-17 November).
Monfils, who led 2-1 in his duels with the Argentinian, twice conceded his serve in the first run, and failed to convert one of his three 3-2 breakout balls.
The French, looking for a second participation in the Masters after 2016, had to defend two new breakpoints at the beginning of the second set to pick up 1-1. But Schwartzman, stronger in return, made him crack again on his throw to play to lead 4-2.
The Argentinean 27-year-old, who has already played two finals this season (title to Los Cabos, defeated in Buenos Aires), did not tremble to complete this meeting in 1:15.
In front of his audience, Thiem, will play him his sixth final of the season after a battle won before Berrettini in three sets (3-6, 7-5, 6-3). He is the first Austrian in the final in Vienna since 2010 and the success of Jürgen Melzer against his compatriot Andreas Haider-Maurer.
The finalist of the last two Roland-Garros, aged 26, will aim for a fifth trophy in 2019 after his successes at Indian Wells, Barcelona, Kitzbühel and Beijing.
© 2019 AFP