MONTECHIARUGOLO-PARMA, June 17, 2022
Elias Ymer has reached his first semi-final since the Tata Open Maharashtra in February by reaching the stage of the final four at the Emilia-Romagna Tennis Cup ATP Challenger Tour 125 event in Montechiarugolo-Parma. On another sunny and hot day in Northern Italy, the 26-year-old from Sweden defeated home favourite Andrea Arnaboldi 6-3, 7-5.
In an intense match on Center Court of the Tennis Club President, Ymer struck seven aces and won 76 per cent of his first-service points to seal victory in one hour and 49 minutes.
Elias Ymer 🇸🇪 about his brother Mikael: “It’s a motivation for me to see him doing so well. I know that I can do the same. We support each other a lot. He is im Wimbledon, I will go there next week. We are together and I love him very much!”#ATPAChallenger #Parma pic.twitter.com/ZwQ8qgq1rq
— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) June 17, 2022
“I served extremely well in the important moments, moved well and saved a lot of break points. I am happy to be through. I like the conditions here, as I play with a lot of spin and the balls bounce more,” Ymer told Tennis TourTalk. The World No. 148 also had a few discussions with the umpire over some close calls.
“I try to stay aggressive on the court. I am very energetic guy. I need to have the fighting spirit. Of course, you need to find the right balance,” explained Ymer, who is accompanied in Parma by his 16-year-old brother Rafael.
“We have now been together for three weeks in a row. It’s so much fun. We play chess every day,” he said and added with a smile. “He is leading 5-2.”
Asked about his year on the tour so far, Ymer stated: “It’s been a solid season so far. I made the semis in Pune but it’s like I always win a couple of matches. I am pretty good in the ATP Race. Hopefully this can be my week but one match at a time.”
Ymer will next take on Marco Cecchinato. The 29-year-old Italian outlasted Chun-hsin Tseng of Chinese Taipei 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in two hours and 27 minutes.
Coric defeats Zeppieri
In the bottom half of the draw, Borna Coric is back in a semi-final for the first time since his shoulder surgery in spring last year. In a battle of the wild card entries, the 25-year-old Croat fought past #NextGenATP Italian Giulio Zeppieri 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4. Coric withstood 12 aces and broke his rival three times to prevail after two hours and 23 minutes.
The former World No. 12, who dropped to 255th position in the ATP Rankings, will next oppose Dusan Lajovic, the only seeded player left in the singles draw of the €134,920 clay-court tournament. The second favourite from Serbia beat Slovakian qualifier Jozef Kovalik 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 22 minutes.
