THE upsets continued in the semi-finals of the Generali Open for a couple of title-less ATP Tour players to book spots in the final, while a former Wimbledon finalist takes on another top 100 title-less hope.

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Yannick Hanfmann has continued his remarkable run at the Generali Open, with the German qualifier booking his spot in the final. The world number 118, who has played just 21 ATP Tour matches and has a career-high ranking of 99, was able to outlast his higher ranked opponent Laslo Djere in three sets.

Hanfmann won 4-6 6-3 7-6, surviving an early scare and then a third set tiebreaker that only ended after a 7-5 victory. The German 28-year-old won 63 per cent of his second serve points and won off his third match point opportunity with a backhand winner in a match that lasted two hours and 25 minutes.

”I didn’t feel so good [after the first match points]. At that level, if you miss those chances you can lose the match right away,” Hanfmann said post-match. “I was happy that I had chances to go back up 6-5 and break him. I didn’t make that, so it was a tough few minutes for me to really get settled again.

”In the tie-break, I had a pretty clear mind. I was just trying to play point-by-point… really go for my game and that is what I did. It is fitting that I finished it with a backhand return winner.”

Hanfmann has not only not won a title, the German had not won a Tour match since 2018, but he is on a roll now with six straight victories and eyeing off a seventh in the final. It is not the first time he has stunningly reached an ATP Tour final from qualifying, going all the way in the 2017 Swiss Open before falling to Fabio Fognini.

Now he takes on the much higher ranked Miomir Kecmanovic. The 47th ranked Serbian is also yet to win an ATP Tour title, though his form has been much better. Kecmanovic had a fight of his own against Swiss qualifier and 303rd ranked 24-year-old, Marc-Andrea Huesler. Kecmanovic won 6-2 5-7 6-3 in two hours and 19 minutes, winning 86 per cent of his first serve points.

Kecmanovic did reach his first ATP Tour career final at Antalya last year before losing to Lorenzo Sonego, but the 21-year-old is one of the Next Gen ATP Finals contenders and heads into the match as a strong favourite. However he is not taking anything for granted.

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