by Matija Pecotic froze out Cypriot Petros Chrysochos in the men’s semi-final, taking the match in two sets, 6-0, 6-0. Despite the one-sided scoreline, the two treated the crowd to a highly technical match. Both players were crafty with combinations of drop shots and lobs to carve out points, but on the day Pecotic met every ball with the necessary precision at the crucial moments to book himself a spot in the final.
Pecotic opened the match with a tight service game that saw the two players trade forehand slices, but ultimately the Maltese stuck the hold. Another tight game followed on Chrysochos’ serve, but Pecotic converted his first break point to open a 2-0 lead. In the next game, at 30-40 the Cypriot eyed two breakpoints of his own, but Pecotic cancelled both before securing the hold to 3-0.
Though Cyrpiot kept up the hard work on the court, he could not manage the hold in the next game which also went to deuce. Having done so much with so little return, his head appeared to have dropped a little as he attempted a half-hearted attack on Pecotic’s serve, before relinquishing the set on his own serve to a love game and set.
Matija Pecotic opened the second set with a rare double fault, but there was no stopping him as he immediately recovered the lapse and secured a comfortable hold. He then broke Chrysochos to love, before spraying forehand winners to land a 3-0 lead. Chrysochos’ next service game was another that went to deuce with the two men displaying all the trickery and finesse, mixing drop shots with lobs and volleys, all the while painting the lines. Unfortunately, the Cypriot again saw his chance to a hold slip away as he failed to make an advantage stick before Matija Pecotic raced to a drop-shot and secured the break with a delightful volley. The Cypriot was evidently not only broken in the game but mentally in the match, as he then yielded Pecotic’s serve with no interest, before relinquishing his own serve one last time, finishing the score 6-0, 6-0.
A fascinating encounter awaits on Friday’s final as the world number 539 Matija Pecotic will meet Monaco’s Lucas Catarina, who is the top seed in the tournament, ranked 449 on the ATP tour. The final will follow the women’s doubles final which starts at 10 am at the Marsa Sports Club, which will see Francesca Curmi and Elaine Genovese team up against Luxembourg’s, Eleonora Molinaro and Marie Weckerle.
Photo: Deea Buzdugan
