GRANBY, August 7, 2016
Marcelo Arevalo and Frances Tiafoe will compete in Sunday’s final of the $100,000 ATP Challenger Banque Nationale in Granby.
The 25-year-old from El Salvador emerged victorious from a topsy-turvy semi-finals match on Saturday, winning 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 over Sekou Bangoura. Arevalo sent down seven aces and converted six of his 10 break point chances to prevail in one hour and 42 minutes. Arevalo advances to his second final of the season and will looking to capture his first title of 2016.
Tiafoe edged past Japanese qualifier Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-3, 7-6. The fourth seed from the United States didn’t face break point, capitalizing on one of his own to advance in one hour and 26 minutes.
Earlier the day, Guilherme Clezar and Alejandro Gonzalez rallied back from a set down to capture the doubles crown. The Brazilian-Colombian combination defeated the Indian tandem Saketh Myneni and Sanam Singh 3-6, 6-1, 12-10 in 65 minutes.
Brady To Face Govortsova In Women’s Final
In the $50,000 ITF Women’s event Aleksandra Wozniak (Blainville, QC) was the lone Canadian remaining at the semifinal stage.
Wozniak went up against 21-year-old US- American Jennifer Brady, currently ranked no. 147 in the world. Playing in her first semifinal since 2012, Wozniak broke her opponent in the opening game and her lead held until 5-3 in the opening set when Brady won ten of the final eleven games of the match to post a 7-5, 6-1 victory. The US-American was particularly dominant with her serve and her forehand.
“I have to give a lot of credit to my opponent who played a very solid match. She had a big forehand that was hard to read,” Wozniak admitted. “I am still pleased with my week in Granby, I was able to play a lot of matches. It’s a long way back, but I am going to continue to work hard to keep improving over the next few weeks.”
In Sunday’s women’s final, Brady will face Olga Govortsova of Belarus, former world no. 35. Govortsova defeated Canadians Charlotte Robillard-Millette, Carol Zhao, and Françoise Abanda before getting the better of US-American Melanie Oudin 6-0, 7-6(2) in the semifinals. Since the start of the tournament, the Belarusian has lost just 13 games in four matches.
