SAVANNAH, May 7, 2017
The final of the $75,000 St. Joseph’s/Candler (SJ/C) Savannah Challenger is set. Joao Pedro Sorgi from Brazil and US-American Tennys Sandgren will face off for the title on Sunday afternoon.
In Saturday’s first singles semi-final World No. 342 Joao Pedro Sorgi took on 2015 SJ/C Savannah Challenger singles finalist James McGee from Ireland. With both players having a difficult time holding serve, McGee got the extra break late to take the opening set 6-4. In the second set, Sorgi saved five of six break points, and targeted McGee’s service games. With McGee struggling, Sorgi took the second set 6-3 to force the final and decisive set. Sorgi continued the momentum and stormed through the third set 6-0 to close out the match in one hour and 54 minutes.
In the next singles US-American wild card Tommy Paul went to the court with the hopes of reaching his first ATP Challenger Tour final since Charlottesville, where he finished runner-up to Noah Rubin in November 2015. He broke Sandgren and took the opening set 6-4. Sandgren however was not ready to go down without a fight, and he battled back to take the second set 6-3. In the final set, Sandgren took an early lead, but Paul broke back and had a match point late in the decisive set. Sandgren saved it and forced the tie-break where he closed out the match on his chance.
Sandgren and Sorgi haved never faced off before. The 23-year-old Brazilian will bid for his first title on the ATP Challenger Tour. Sandgren could lift his third Challenger trophy, following his triumphs in Champaign in 2013 and Tempe earlier this season.
Earlier in the day the remaining doubles semifinal took to the court where No. 3 seeds Luke Bambridge and Mitchell Krueger took on No. 2 seeds Mikelis Libietis and Max Schnur. Bambridge and Krueger quickly took the opening set 6-1, but in the second set Libietis and Schnur reversed the momentum takes the set 6-2. In the match tie-break, Bambridge and Krueger closed out the match 6-1, 2-6, 10-7, to reach their first doubles final as a team.
Play gets underway on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. with the doubles final. Bambridge and Krueger will take on No. 1 seeds Peter Polansky and Neal Skupski. Following the trophy presentation, the singles final will be contested with 80 ATP ranking points and $10,800 on the line.
