Martin Klizan completed a second successive escape at the Rotterdam World Tennis yesterday, beating Frenchman Nicolas Mahut 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 to reach the final after saving three match points.
The Slovak had already saved five match points in the previous round to defeat Robert Bautista Agut. Klizan will bid for the trophy today when he plays either German Philipp Kohlschreiber or French fifth seed Gael Monfils.
The Slovak is riding a run of form after playing in last week’s Sofia semi-final following a 0-3 start to the season, uncomfortably changing racquets and then going back to his former stick. Klizan was playing in back-to-back semi-finals for the first time in his career.
“It was almost impossible for me to win this match,” the Slovak said. “Nicolas was serving so well. Into the second set, his level was so much higher than mine. All I could do was keep trying and have fun. I hope it helped. I was really lucky today to get the win. It’s great to be in my first 500-level final, I’ll be ready for it.”
Klizan lost the opening set in 46 minutes as the 34-year-old Mahut rained down 11 aces. He then went down a break in the seventh game of the second set but levelled for 5-5, which he celebrated with an acrobatic somersault.
As the set went into a tiebreaker, his level rose, saving match points and taking the tight contest into a third set on a passing winner.
In the final set, the Slovak took command with a break to start and added another for a 4-1 margin. He erupted in joy after advancing on his own second match point. The 26-year-old, ranked 43rd with three career titles, will be appearing in the fourth final of his career.
It’s Bencic versus Vinci
In St Petersburg, top seed Belinda Bencic will face second seed Roberta Vinci in the WTA St Petersburg final after beating Darya Kasatkina 6-4, 6-3 in yesterday’s semi-final.
Vinci, the US Open runner-up last season, overcame former French Open winner Ana Ivanovic, seeded fourth, 7-5, 6-4.
Swiss teenager Bencic, ranked 11th in the world, won her first ever WTA meeting with Russian Kasatkina to ensure she will finish the week inside the Top 10.
Serbian former world number one and 2008 Roland Garros champion Ivanovic started her semi-final aggressively, clinching a 3-0 lead with an early break. But Italian Vinci broke back twice to win the opening stanza.
Vinci, ranked 16th in the world, broke in the seventh game of the second set and that proved enough for a place in her 15th WTA final.

Nadal storms into semis
Top seed and defending champion Rafael Nadal reached the Argentina Open semi-finals on Friday, braving temperatures of 33 degrees to clinch a 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 win over Italian journeyman Paolo Lorenzi. Nadal, the world number five, is back on his favourite clay-court surface and is playing his first event since his shock opening round loss to compatriot Fernando Verdasco at the Australian Open last month.
He had seen off close friend Juan Monaco of Argentina in Thursday’s first round but faced a slightly tougher test on Friday when 34-year-old Lorenzi, the world No. 52, clawed his way back from a 4-1 first set deficit. But 29-year-old Nadal clinched victory on his first match point after one hour and 51 minutes on court. It was the Spaniard’s 346th win on clay as he remains on track to claim a 48th career title on the surface.