Murray beats Kyrgios to reach Stuttgart final
STUTTGART, Germany — Andy Murray will play his first grass-court singles final since winning Wimbledon in 2016 after beating Nick Kyrgios in straight sets in the Stuttgart Open semifinals on Saturday.
The British three-time Grand Slam winner showed signs of his old form as he beat Kyrgios 7-6 (5), 6-2, holding his serve throughout the match.
“A lot of ups and downs, but I kept going and kept working and finally managed to get to another (grass-court final). I am proud of the effort I have put in,” Murray said. “I was just a little more solid in the tiebreak. I asked the questions.”
Murray continued his strong form ahead of Wimbledon after stunning Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals on Friday, the first win for Murray in six years against an opponent ranked in the top five.
It’s the second final of 2022 for Murray, who lost to Aslan Karatsev at the hardcourt Sydney Tennis Classic in January, and the first time that he has reached two finals in the same season since 2017. Murray, who has struggled to get back to his best following hip surgery, last won a tour singles title at the European Open in Belgium in 2019 and has a 46-23 record in finals.
Murray’s opponent in Sunday’s final will be second-seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini, who prevailed 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5) over Oscar Otte in a tight match with no breaks of serve. Berrettini saved set point in the first-set tiebreak and needed three match points to
close out the win.
Murray and Berrettini each won one of their two career meetings, with Berrettini the victor in their only grass-court match at Queen’s Club last year.
AMERICAN RISKE INTO NOTTINGHAM FINAL
NOTTINGHAM, England — Alison Riske and Beatriz Haddad Maia will
face each other for the Nottingham Open title after winning their semifinal matches on Saturday.
Riske, the sixth-seeded American, beat Viktorija Golubic 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in a rain-delayed match and will look to capture the fourth title of her career in Sunday’s final of the grass-court tournament.
Haddad Maia, the seventh-seeded Brazilian, advanced when Tereza Martincova was forced to retire in the second set. Haddad Maia was leading 6-3, 4-1 and will be playing in her second WTA final — five years after finishing runner-up at the 2017 Korea Open.
In the men’s event, topseeded Dan Evans of Britain beat Jack Sock of the United States 7-5, 6-3 to advance to a final against Jordan Thompson, who won an all-Australian semifinal match 6-4, 6-2 against Alexei Popyrin.