LYON/STARNBERG, May 20, 2022
Top favourite Cameron Norrie and unseeded Alex Molcan will compete in Saturday’s singles final of the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon. The World No. 11 from Great Britain battled past Danish teen sensation Holger Rune 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in the stage of the last four on Friday.
Norrie converted five of 10 break-point chances and won 54 per cent of the total points played to prevail after two hours and one minute.
🏆 Los Cabos ’21
🏆 Delray Beach ’22
❓ Lyon ’22
@cam_norrie has won every event he’s played as No. 1 seed 👀He looks to keep the streak going in the #OpenParc final tomorrow… pic.twitter.com/DHMXqzqIHz
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 20, 2022
“It is never easy to close a match. I had a break in the second and then gifted a couple easy ones. I was pretty mad inside but I managed to stay composed,” said Norrie, who finished runner-up to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Lyon last year. “I was telling myself to stay positive and I managed to play the two best games of the match in the last two games. It is nice to get over the line when the nerves are there and you want to be in the final again.”
In the first semi-final, Molcan defeated No. 4 seed Alex de Minaur from Australia 7-6(2), 6-2 in one hour and 48 minutes to advance to his third championship match on the ATP Tour. The 24-year-old Slovakian won 70 per cent of his first-service points and broke his rival five times to seal victory in one hour and 47 minutes.
“It was very tight. I survived in the first set and in the tie-break he helped me with some misses, which helped me a lot to win the first set,” Molcan said. “In the second set I was playing solid and didn’t make many mistakes. I am really happy.”
The lefty from Persov will be aiming to clinch his maiden tour-level title when he faces Norrie for the first time. The 26-year-old Englishman could lift his fourth ATP Tour career crown, his second of the season following his triumph at the Delray Beach Open in February.
