SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, April 5, 2019
Rudolf Molleker and Dustin Brown will go head-to-head in Saturday’s semi-finals of the €69,280 Mouratoglou Open. 18-year-old Molleker of Germany knocked off No. 10 seeded Italian veteran Simone Bolelli, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 on Friday afternoon in Sophia Antipolis.
The teenager saved nine of the 11 break points he faced, capitalizing on three of his own five chances to prevail after one hour and 53 minutes.
Nerves of steel.
18-year-old Rudi Molleker serves out Simone Bolelli 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the semifinals!
Plays fellow German 🇩🇪 @DreddyTennis next.#MO19 | @ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/Wdo3Cs2TeK
— Mouratoglou Tennis Academy 🎾 (@MouratoglouAcad) 5. April 2019
Earlier in the day, Brown defeated Italy’s Matteo Donati 7-5, 6-2. The 34-year-old German won 56 per cent of the total points played to advance in one hour and 22 minutes.
Brown will appear in stage of the final four at an ATP Challenger event for the first time since finishing runner-up to Lorenzo Sonego in Genova in September last year. Molleker reached his last semi-final in Szczecin 2018. The pair will meet for the first time.
Roberto Marcora, who emerged victorious from the all-Italian encounter with Filippo Baldi 6-3, 6-3, will take on No. 5 seeded Serbian Filip Krajinovic, who beat Gianluca Mager of Italy 7-6(2), 6-4 in the final match of the day.
