Matthias Bachinger has sensationally reached the finals of the ATP World Tour 250 tournament in Metz. The German qualifier defeated tournament favourite Kei Nishikori in three sets.
Qualifier Matthias Bachinger (Munich) celebrated the greatest success of his career at the ATP tournament in Metz, France. After an energy performance in the semi-final, the 31-year-old won against the top seeded US Open semi-finalist Kei Nishikori from Japan 2:6, 6:4, 7:5 and thus entered an ATP final for the first time.
Bachinger turned his first match point into a triumph after 2:10 hours. His opponent in the final on Sunday (3.45 pm) is the Frenchman Gilles Simon. Bachinger, who has been a tennis pro since 2005, had only reached an ATP semi-final twice before: in Bucharest in 2012 and in Stockholm in 2014.
Nishikori, who had only failed in New York due to the later champion Novak Djokovic, had a great chance to make a preliminary decision in the third set, but could not use three break points at 3:3 and 40:0. Bachinger fought his way back and rewarded himself with the decisive break to 7-5.