PORTUGUESE veteran, Pedro Sousa has emphasised the ‘lucky’ in ‘lucky loser’ with the counterpuncher reaching the final of the Argentina Open, while in New York, British seed Kyle Edmund will face Italian veteran, Andreas Seppi.

ARGENTINA OPEN – BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA:

Sousa might have lost in qualifying, but a late withdrawal to Cordoba Open champion, Cristian Garin helped the 31-year-old gain a spot in the main draw. He had more luck playing a couple of qualifiers and battled his way through to a semi-final where he faced off against top 15 player and hometown hero, Diego Schwartzman. With the number one seed withdrawing from the match, Sousa was handed his first ever ATP Tour finals appearance. In fact, not only has he never made a final, he had not even reached a quarter final on tour – in 13 years. Now he has made it and will face Norwegian Casper Ruud for the Buenos Aires title.

The eighth seed overpowered Argentinian Juan Ignacio Londero in three sets, coming from a set down to win 4-6 7-5 6-1 in two hours and 12 minutes. Ruud served up 11 aces and won a respective 76 and 67 per cent of points on his first and second serves. He broke four times to two and overall looked more damaging than his opponent. Early on it looked as though Londero had the upper hand, but instead Ruud created a crucial break in the second set to level the match, then ran away with the contest, winning eight of the last nine games. He was too strong on serve, winning 73 per cent of his service points and 38 per cent upon return, both of which were superior to that of Londero. While Sousa has already made history, both players will be vying for their maiden title, guaranteeing that a player will breakthrough for his first ATP Tour title.

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS:

Pedro Sousa (POR) defeated [1] Diego Schwartzman (ARG) W/O
[8] Casper Ruud (NOR) defeated Juan Ignacio Londero (ARG) 4-6 7-5 6-1

NEW YORK OPEN – NEW YORK, UNITED STATES:

Edmund has breezed through to the final of the New York Open, defeating Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1 6-4. The 63rd ranked Brit took 71 minutes to win, serving eight aces and won 79 per cent of his first serve points. He was able to defend both break point opportunities, while breaking his opponent three times. He led in both service points and return points won over his opponent, and heads into the final as favourite to win his second ATP Tour title after breaking through for his maiden title at Antwerp back in 2018.

Joining Edmund in the final is Italian veteran, Seppi. The world number 98 has slid down the rankings in recent years, having not won a title since 2012. The 35-year-old took an hour and 24 minutes to dismiss Chinese Taipei qualifier, Jason Jung 6-3 6-2. He won 71 per cent of his first serve off a 70 per cent efficiency. He also broke five times to one, breaking more times than Jung could hold serve. He also capitalised off Jung’s serve, winning 70 per cent off his opponents’ second serve. Having already moved up to 80th in the world, Seppi will need a big effort if he is to down the Brit in the final.

SEMI-FINAL RESULTS:

[8] Kyle Edmund (GBR) defeated [6] Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) 6-1 6-4
Andreas Seppi (ITA) defeated [Q] Jason Jung (TAI) 6-3 6-2