Solid Tsitsipas downs Zverev, enters final

Agencies

MONTE CARLO: Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas showed no signs of fatigue following Friday’s marathon as he eased past German Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-2 to reach the Monte Carlo Masters final on Saturday.

Tsitsipas and Zverev had both survived three-hour tussles on Friday to reach the last four but it was the Greek third seed who appeared to have made a quick recovery as he tormented a lethargic Zverev with a barrage of baseline winners.

Tsitsipas, who has now won all three of his clay-court matches against Zverev, will take on surprise finalist Alejandro

Davidovich Fokina in Sunday.

The Spaniard, who will contest his first singles final on the ATP tour, beat Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3.

Tsitsipas, last year’s French Open runner-up, was twice up a break in the opening set but allowed Zverev to steal his serve back in the third and ninth games. The Greek eventually sealed the set on the German’s serve with a perfect slice. Tsitsipas dominated the second set from the baseline.

Swiatek sends Poland into BJK Cup finals RADOM, POLAND: Poland’s world No. 1 Iga Swiatek handed Romania’s Andreea Prisacariu a double bagel en route to victory in their Billie Jean King Cup qualifier, securing a 3-0 win in the tie and a spot in November’s finals for the first time.

Swiatek, who put her country up 2-0 on Friday’s opening day by thrashing Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-1, 6-0 for an 18th straight win, continued to stamp her authority on the tie as the 20-year-old broke Prisacariu six times in a 6-0, 6-0 win. Joining Poland in the finals are Kazakhstan, who beat Germany 3-0.

Britain’s US Open champion Emma Raducanu lost 6-1, 6-1 against 2019 French Open runner-up Marketa Vondrousova in Prague after struggling with blisters on her right foot.

REUTERS Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-2.