UMAG, Croatia (AP) — Third-seeded Fabio Fognini saved three match points before reaching the final of the Croatia Open on Saturday, beating Gael Monfils 6-0, 3-6, 7-6 (3) in match full of momentum swings and turnarounds.
Fognini brushed aside Monfils in the first set, losing just 10 points, but then made a number of unforced errors in the second as the Frenchman leveled the match. In the third set, Fognini jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Monfils fought back again. The Frenchman saved two match points when trailing 5-3, but then wasted three of his own at 6-5.
Fognini trailed 2-0 in the tiebreaker before recovering to reach his first Croatia Open final, where he will play Andreas Seppi or Tommy Robredo.
