SARASOTA, April 19, 2015

The Sarasota Open has become the sixth different ATP Challenger event with at least three Argentines in the semi-finals since 2013. All of them and one local player were in action on Saturday.

Sixth seed Facundo Bagnis fired seven aces on the green clay and capitalized on three out of his four break points winning 6-3, 7-5 over the last US-American left in the draw Chase Buchanan. The 25-year-old sealed victory in one hour and 41 minutes to reach his second final of the season after claiming the ATP Challenger title in Santiago in March.

Facundo Bagnis has reached his second ATP Challenger final of the season

“The match was so close,” Bagnis said. “I think I played so good in the first set and in the second, he started to play so well. The first games were so close.”

“I just lost a little focus,” Buchanan told. “I missed that first one long at 0-15 and then compensated and hit one in the net. And that was against the wind, so there’s no reason to miss it in the net.”

Chase Buchanan

Bagnis also made it into the doubles final along with countryman Facundo Arguello. The Argentines will meet the team of Hyeon Chung and Divij Sharan for the title. No player has lifted both singles and the doubles trophy in Sarasota in the same year.

“It would be great,” said Bagnis. “But, of course, there are two difficult matches on Sunday.”

Renzo Olivo’s run from the qualifying ended in the semi-finals

In the singles final he will face fellow Argentine Federico Delbonis to continue the South-American Fiesta in Florida. The second seed cruised past qualifier Renzo Olivo winning 6-1, 6-2 in 64 minutes.

Delbonis and Bagnis will meet for the fifth time on the tour with the tie levelled at 2-2. Bagnis won the last encounter between the two at the ATP 250 in Sao Paulo this February winning in three sets.