By Chris Oddo | Saturday October 21, 2017
Damir Dzumhur defeated Mirza Basic to reach his second ATP final in as many months.
Damir Dzhumhur won the first ATP semifinal between players from Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, notching a 6-0, 7-6(9) victory over his best friend Mirza Basic to reach his second ATP final in two months.
“It means a lot for us. It means a lot for Bosnian tennis. It means a lot for Bosnian people,” Dzumhur said, according to ATPWorldTour.com. “I think back home in Bosnia everyone was watching us today.”
Dzumhur saved both break points he faced against Basic and converted three of 13 break points to earn the victory in 87 minutes.
He will face Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis in the final.
Berankis battled back to topple No.3-seeded Adrian Mannarino, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. The 27-year-old is on the road back from hip surgery and playing on a protected ranking. He owns a 2-1 lifetime record over Dzumhur and is bidding to become the ATP’s 8th maiden title winner of 2017. Dzumhur became the ATP’s 7th maiden title winner of the season last month in St. Petersburg.