Andy Murray will have the experience edge when the top seed faces untested Donald Young in today’s final of the ATP Thailand Open.
Murray needed six match points and nerves of steel to beat long-time opponent Gilles Simon 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in yesterday’s semi-finals.
He has now won his last eight matches against the third-seeded Frenchman dating to 2008. Murray will be looking for his third title this year after winning Queen’s and the Cincinnati Masters.
Photo: EPA
The left-handed Young, ranked 55, needed nearly three hours to upset second seed Gael Monfils 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5) and reach his first career final.
World No. 4 Murray lost to Young in an Indian Wells upset in March, but defeated the young American in their fourth round match at the US Open.
Young hung tough in the face of 13 aces from Monfils, who has not lifted a trophy in nearly a year.
The 22-year-old, who has had a frustrating struggle from boy wonder to the senior ranks after once being tipped to succeed by John McEnroe, now has the chance for a further upset performance.
Monfils and Young traded 20 break points between them in the marathon match, with Young converting on five of his 10 chances.
The American went down a break in the second set, but got it back, then refused to buckle as Monfils saved two set points in the 12th game.
Young got some momentum in the decider, which he won on his fourth chance to take it into a third set. He eventually lifted victory as Monfils double-faulted to lose.
Young now stands 18-13 on the season after playing in only his second career semi-final at the ATP level.
Monfils at No. 9 remains the highest-ranked player not to win a title so far this season.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS