Top seed Alexander Bublik stayed on course to defend his Generali Open title by reaching the final in Kitzbuhel on Friday, where he will face France’s Quentin Halys.
Halys advanced to his second ATP Tour final with a 6-4 7-6(2) victory over Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann.
The Frenchman fired 11 aces, won 32 of his 34 first-serve points and faced just one break point. He created 10 break opportunities, converting two, before sealing victory in the tiebreak after letting eight match points slip in the second set.
Halys will meet Kazakhstan’s Bublik, who eased past Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3 6-4.
The defending champion broke serve in the opening return game of each set and was rarely troubled as he extended his unbeaten run in the tournament without dropping a set since lifting the title last year.
At the Estoril Open in Portugal, France’s Luca Van Assche upset top seed Andrey Rublev 3-6 6-3 6-4 to reach the first ATP Tour semi-final of his career.
The world number 78 ended Rublev’s six-match winning streak after recovering from a difficult opening set, where he saved nine of 10 break points. Van Assche conceded only one break point over the final two sets before securing the decisive break early in the third.
He will face compatriot Hugo Gaston in an all-French semi-final after Gaston defeated Portugal’s Tiago Torres 6-3 6-4.
Second seed Luciano Darderi of Italy rallied past Portugal’s Jaime Faria 2-6 7-5 6-2 to book a semi-final against Belgium’s fourth seed Alexander Blockx, who defeated Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga 6-4 5-7 6-4.
