MANERBIO, August 27, 2016
Leonardo Mayer and Filip Krajinovic will compete in Sunday’s final of the €42,500 Internazionali di Tennis Manerbio. The fifth seed from Argentina rallied 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 to overcome Matteo Donati.
Mayer sent down four aces, winning 87 per cent of his first service points to prevail in two hours and four minutes. He will appear in his first final since finishing runner-up to Dominic Thiem in Nice 2015. Mayer captured his last title at the 2014 German Open in Hamburg. His last triumph on the ATP Challenger Tour came in 2013 in Guyaquil.
Krajinovic defeated French qualifier Jonathan Eysseric 7-5, 6-1. The eighth seed from Serbia saved four of the five break points he faced, converting four of his own to advance in one hour and 22 minutes. Krajinovic will play his second final of the season after he lost to Kyle Edmund at the Rome Challenger. The world number 184 clinched two titles on the ATP Challenger Tour last year, winning in Braunschweig and in Cordenons.
Mayer won the only previous meeting between the two at the 2015 Davis Cup on clay.
Later the day, top seeded Croats Nikola Mektic and Antonio Sancic won the doubles final 7-5, 6-1 over Argentines Juan Ignacio Galarza and Leonardo Mayer. The encounter lasted 68 minutes.