Six matches down, one to go for Pavel Kotov at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open.
The No. 109-ranked qualifier moved within one win of a dream maiden tour-level title on Saturday, when he defeated Miomir Kecmanovic 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-finals at the ATP 250 in Stockholm. Kotov powered 25 winners to his opponent’s 17 to back up his career-best quarter-final win against third seed Tallon Griekspoor in style.
“I’m extremely happy and super tired,” said Kotov, who came through two rounds of qualifying prior to taking his place in the main draw in Sweden. “It was my dream to play a final and now it is 2023 and it’s my first one. It’s a super end to the season for me.”
That 1st final feeling! 😁
Qualifier Pavel Kotov gets the job done 6-3, 6-4 facing Kecmanovic @sthlm_open | #bnpparibasnordicopen pic.twitter.com/ncQlusVHwT
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 21, 2023
Kotov broke Kecmanovic’s serve decisively midway through each set to seal a 91-minute triumph in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash. He has now dropped just one set across his six matches in the Swedish capital.
“I tried to stay very aggressive,” said Kotov of Saturday’s semi-final win. “I tried to make as few mistakes as I could, but still it was a very tough match. I’ve had a great week here, it’s amazing.”
Kotov, who also reached the semi-finals in Marrakech in April, is up 28 spots to No. 81 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run in Stockholm, where his championship-match opponent will be Gael Monfils or Laslo Djere.