Damir Dzumhur reached the Winston-Salem final on Friday by executing a come-from-behind win over Kyle Edmund by a score of 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Dzumhur’s opponent in the championship match will be Roberto Bautista Agut — the tournament’s top seed — who defeated Jan-Lennard Struff 6-2, 6-4.
Dzumhur, 25, and Edmund, 22, were both battling to reach their first ATP final. Dzumhur took a very early lead in the first set, breaking Edmund’s serve with a knockdown backhand winner down the line. But that was the only game he won the entire frame. Edmund won the next six, closing the set out on an ace up the T for a breadstick.
Dzumhur played much better in Set 2. He held his serve six times. Edmund, serving from down 5-6, ad out, misfired a backhand into the net, evening the match at a set each and sending it to a decider.
In the third set, Edmund found himself down 1-2 and 15-40. He stuck a backhand volley winner to get rid of the first break point, but he netted a forehand volley on the second. Dzumhur then saved two break points of his own, and went on to take a 4-1 lead.
Later on, though, Dzumhur double-faulted into a 30-40 deficit, and then netted a backhand, allowing the set to get back on serve with Dzumhur leading 4-3.
But the Brit got broken at love in the next game, meaning Dzumhur would lead 5-3 and serve for the match. Dzumhur held to 30 with a drop shot winner to take the final set 6-3.
Dzumhur (🎥@TennisTV ) pic.twitter.com/WcmleSZiYN
— doublefault28 (@doublefault28) August 26, 2017
In the second semifinal, Bautista Agut dominated the first set, winning it 6-2. Struff won the first two games of Set 2, but Bautista Agut got the break right back, and eventually broke for 5-4. He then held to love to win the match.
The finalists — Dzumhur, the world No. 67, and Bautista Agut, the 11th seed at next week’s US Open — have never played each other.
