Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov will face giant-killer Nicolas Jarry in the Geneva Open final on Saturday after the Chilean downed Alexander Zverev in the semis to spoil his French Open preparations.
Dimitrov, the world number 33, overturned the odds in Friday’s last four when he beat US second seed Taylor Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) in a contest with the world number nine that lasted nearly three hours.
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But Jarry, ranked 54, pulled off an upset of his own by beating Zverev 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.
It was a second straight scalp for Jarry, who knocked out top seed and world number four Casper Ruud, the 2021 and 2022 defending champion, in the quarter-finals on Thursday.
Zverev has reached the French Open semi-finals twice in a row but the German world number 27 will need to be on much better form next week in Paris if he is to maintain that streak.
Dimitrov, a former Wimbledon, Australian and US Open semi-finalist, said his contest with Fritz on the Parc des Eaux-Vives clay had been a “crazy match”.
“These past two days I’ve spent a lot of hours on the court. That’s a great thing. I’m very pleased with the way I fought. Let’s go out tomorrow again,” he said.
“The job isn’t over. It’s another step forward. I don’t take these matches lightly: I came this week with a purpose. I intend to finish it up till the end.”
Dimitrov, 32, is in his first final since losing to Roger Federer in Rotterdam 2018. The last of his eight titles came when he won the ATP Finals on his debut in 2017.
Jarry won their only previous clash, in Barcelona in 2019.
Zverev beat Jarry in the 2019 Geneva final — but there was no repeat this time.
“I’m so happy to be here, another final. I love Geneva and it suits me well,” the Chilean number one said.
“I’ve been playing good tennis, I’ve been working a lot these two years to come back and be able to play like this.”
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The 28-man Geneva tournament serves as a timely tune-up for the second Grand Slam of the year in Paris.
The Geneva title comes with 85,605 euros ($91,780) in prize money, while the runner-up earns 49,940 euros.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)
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