Pospisil powers into Sofia Open final with win over Gasquet

Vasek Pospisil is into a second ATP final of the year – and a third of his career – following an impressive 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-0 victory over France’s Richard Gasquet at the Sofia Open in Bulgaria. The Canadian will now face Italian Jannik Sinner in the championship match.

Heading into Friday’s semi-final, Pospisil and Gasquet had faced each other five times previously with the Canadian coming on top in three of those matches. Their most recent meeting came en route to Pospisil’s other ATP final appearance this year at the Open Sud De France in Montpellier, where a walkover saw the Vancouver-native progress from the quarter-finals.

Having already beaten seeded opponents Jan-Lennard Struff (No. 4) and John Millman (No. 6) on his way to the semis in Sofia, Pospisil entered the meeting with Gasquet high on confidence. An even first set was decided in a hard-fought tiebreak in which the Frenchman got the better of Pospisil, who lost it 8-6.

It was a different story in the second and third sets, however, as the Canadian rallied to play virtually flawless tennis on his way to 6-2 and 6-0 victories respectively. He even capped off the win with a stunning serve on match point to qualify for the final in style.

Sinner, who Pospisil will face in the championship match, is ranked No. 44 on the ATP Tour at just 19-years-old. The Italian sealed his place in the final with a 6-3, 7-5 triumph over France’s Adrian Mannarino. Whoever wins the title match, it will be the first ATP title of their career.