STARNBERG, October 31, 2020
John Millman of Australia and Frenchman Adrian Mannarino will compete in Sunday’s singles final of the inaugural Astana Open in Nur-Sultan, the first ATP Tour tournament held in Kazakhstan.
No. 4 seed Millman hit 16 winners and found success in extended rallies to defeat US-American Frances Tiafoe 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and reach his third ATP Tour championship match after two hours and six minutes. The 31-year-old from Brisbane is attempting to capture his first tour-level trophy after runner up finishes in Budapest in 2018 and Tokyo last year.
Aiming for the 🏆@johnhmillman battles past Frances Tiafoe 3-6 6-4 6-4 to take his place in the final at @AstanaOpen pic.twitter.com/45HV1TrqNf
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 31, 2020
“I’m super happy, as it’s been tough road to the finals. It was a tough match against Frances. I needed to play high quality shots and it was always a physical match. Frances is a dangerous player,” said Millman speaking to the media after the match. “It’s great feeling to be in a final and it would be nice to get the win tomorrow. I have had a lot of fun and enjoyed the tournament and the atmosphere here.”
Later in the afternoon, No. 3 seed Mannarino defeated Finnish qualifier Emil Ruusuvuori 7-5, 6-2. The World No. 39 from France capitalized on four of his eight break-point chances to advance in one hour and 40 minutes.
”Adrian Mannarino is an established Top 100 player… He is very comfortable on these courts,” said Millman. “He is a lefty [who is] so tough to break down… I am really glad that I can be in a position to play for the title.”
The Australian won both of his previous two meetings with Mannarino.
