The Hague (AFP)
The surprising Hungarian Marton Fucsovics (59th worldwide), after his victory over the Croatian Borna Coric (26th) 6-4, 6-1 on Saturday, qualified for the final of the ATP 500 indoor tournament in Rotterdam where he will challenge the N .8 world, Andrey Rublev.
The Russian, who remains on a 19-game winning streak in ATP 500 tournaments after his 2020 successes in Hamburg, St. Petersburg and Vienna, will seek the pass of four in this tournament level.
He also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open last month and will leave widely favorite to succeed French Gaël Monfils in the tournament's prize list.
Against Stéfanos Tsitsipas (6th), the young 23-year-old Russian was very strong: he twice delighted his opponent's service in a first round which he won 6-3, then dominated the Greek in the decisive game of the second to win in 1h37 min.
He will play his tenth final on the circuit (7 titles).
Coming from qualifying, Fucsovics succeeded at the start of the break to break away 2-0.
Coric glued back to 3-3, before the Hungarian managed the break again to win the first set 6-4.
The second was only a formality.
Fucsovics, who will play at 29 in the second final of his career after his title in Geneva on clay in 2018, and Rublev will face each other for the third time.
The Hungarian won the first meeting, in a Davis Cup play-off in 2017. The Russian took his revenge in the round of 16 at Roland Garros in 2020.
Mikhail Youzhny is the last Russian to win the Rotterdam tournament.
It was in 2017.
© 2021 AFP