2023-11-11 17:51:00
He had lost 9 of the first 10 finals of his career. Adrian Mannarino will have waited until the 2023 season to reverse his win ratio. This Saturday afternoon in Sofia, he beat the Briton Jack Draper in three sets (7-6, 2-6, 6-3) to pocket his third title of the year, after Newport in July and Astana ago a month, in four finals.
Facing the Frenchman, another left-hander who was playing his first final at the age of 21 after taking out the No. 1 seeds (Musetti in the eighth) and No. 3 (Struff in the semis). The first round began with an entry break from Mannarino before his opponent broke immediately. Solid in service, the two men easily won their games until a tight tie-break which the Frenchman won on his second set point.
While waiting for Ugo Humbert in the final in Metz…
Smashing his racket against his bag woke up Draper, who dominated the second set (6-2) in 33 minutes against a helpless Mannarino. But the Frenchman, whose status as number 2 seed allowed him to benefit from a bye in the first round, was able to draw on his reserves. In the third round, he managed to break his opponent to lead 4-2. But the battle was long and the 25th in the ATP rankings had to save two break points while serving for the set at 5-3.
“It was great to play this week in Sofia,” said Mannarino before congratulating his opponent of the day. “Your future looks bright,” greeted the Frenchman who thanked the team around him. “It’s very nice to end the year with you. I hope we can continue in the future. »
With this victory, Adrian Mannarino wins the fifth tournament of his career after ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2019, Winston-Salem in 2022 and Newport and Astana in 2023. Depending on the result of Ugo Humbert, finalist this afternoon in Metz , he can conclude the year in the honorary place of French number 1. Regardless, Adrian Mannarino will obtain his best career ranking at the end of the season, having climbed to 22nd place in 2018. After his victory in Bulgaria, he reached 21st place.
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