FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Davis Cup - Group D - Canada v Britain - AO Arena, Manchester, Britain - September 15, 2024 Canada's Denis Shapovalov in action during his singles match against Britain's Daniel Evans Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes/File Photo
Canadian qualifier Denis Shapovalov blew past Czech fourth seed Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 6-1 in 56 minutes to advance to the final of the Belgrade Open on Friday in the Serbian capital.
Shapovalov, once ranked as highly as No. 10 in the world, had not reached an ATP Tour final since October 2022. His only career title came at the Stockholm Open in October 2019.
Shapovalov blitzed Lehecka, winning a whopping 25 of 26 first-service points (96.2 percent) and 15 of 18 points on second return (83.3 percent).
His opponent in the final will be Serbian home favorite Hamad Medjedovic. In a battle of two wild cards from Serbia, Medjedovic -- ranked No. 156 in the world -- staved off Laslo Djere 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (2).
Moselle Open
Great Britain's Cameron Norrie will face French qualifier Benjamin Bonzi in the final in Metz, France, after each man won in the semifinals.
Norried earned a 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory over Frenchman Corentin Moutet. He doubled up Moutet in winners (28-14) and converted 4 of 5 break-point opportunities, but he had to rally from down 5-2 in the second-set tiebreaker and won five straight points to put away the match. This will be Norrie's first final appearance of 2024.
Bonzi, seeking his first tour-level trophy in front of a home crowd, rallied past Alex Michelsen 4-6, 6-0, 7-5. Bonzi smashed nine aces and saved 7 of 10 break points, but Michelsen saved four match points before Bonzi finally made good on his fifth opportunity.
--Field Level Media
