Van de Zandschulp to Face Fucsovics in ATP Winston-Salem Final

Botic van de Zandschulp battled through a demanding Friday schedule to secure his place in the final of the ATP hard-court tournament in Winston-Salem, defeating France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 7-5 in the semi-finals of the rain-disrupted event.

The Dutchman broke Mpetshi Perricard three times and struck six aces during the one-hour, 36-minute contest.

Earlier in the day, Van de Zandschulp had completed a rain-delayed quarter-final, finishing off a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory over China’s Bu Yunchaokete. That match had been suspended the previous night.

“It was a pretty quick two hours (between matches), but I think I managed well tonight,” said Van de Zandschulp, who will be aiming for his maiden ATP title on Saturday in what will be his third final appearance.

His opponent will be Hungary’s Márton Fucsovics, who advanced without hitting a ball after American Sebastian Korda withdrew due to illness.

Fucsovics is chasing a third ATP crown, having lifted the trophy in Bucharest last year, six years on from his triumph in Geneva.

Korda, who had been competing in his first tournament since Roland Garros following a stress fracture in his right shin, clarified that the withdrawal was not injury-related.

“Woke up a bit under the weather and thought it was going to be difficult to play today,” he explained in a social media post. “Been a long three months recovering and want to stay on track.”

The Winston-Salem event serves as the final men’s warm-up before the US Open, which begins on Sunday.

Van de Zandschulp, who famously stunned Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz in the second round at Flushing Meadows last year, will open his campaign in New York against 11th seed Holger Rune.

Fucsovics, meanwhile, will face Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the first round. Both Korda and Bu will also feature in the main draw.