Australian Alexei Popyrin beat Croatian veteran Marin Cilic, while Kazakh Alexander Bublik did the same with Moldovan Rudi Albot, and both will contest the ATP final in Singapore. Popyrin, 21 years old and 114 in the world, defeated the former ATP number three and third seed, 7-6 (5) 7-6 (2). Cilic, 32, had saved a match point in the quarterfinals against Korean Soonwoo Kwon, but he could not this time with the effectiveness and resolution of the “aussie” in the two tiebreakers, to give up in almost two hours after conceding 15 direct aces.
Bublik, fourth favorite of the contest, 23 years old and 46 in the world, he needed three sets (2-6, 6-3 and 6-4) to resolve his duel against Albot, executioner of the top seed, Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the quarterfinals, and Spaniard Roberto Bautista in the recent Australian Open, in an hour and a half.
The two finalists will fight this Sunday to win the first title of their careers. It will be his first duel on the ATP circuit, although in the challenger in Astana (Kazakhstan) of 2018 Popyrin prevailed by 5-7, 6-3 and 6-4.