Italian Matteo Berrettini (ATP-9) and Briton Cameron Norrie (ATP-41), both 25 years old, will play the final of the Queen’s grass tournament (1,290,155 euros) on Sunday. In the semi-finals, first seed Berrettini eliminated Australian Alex de Minaur (ATP-22) on Saturday with 6-4 twice. Norrie took the measure of Canadian Denis Shapovalov (ATP-21), the second seed, with 7-5 and 6-3.
Berrettini is going for a fifth title in his seventh final, the second this season. In April he won in Belgrade. Cameron Norrie has already played three finals, but does not yet have an ATP tournament on his palmares. This year he was already runner-up in Estoril and Lyon.
It will be the first meeting between Berrettini and Norrie.
Liudmila Samsonova surprises at WTA tournament in Berlin “/>Foto: Action Images via Reuters
Liudmila Samsonova surprisingly reaches final in Berlin
Russian Liudmila Samsonova, 106th in the world ranking, caused a surprise on Saturday by qualifying for the first final of her career at the WTA 500 grass tournament in Berlin (456.073 euros). number one in the world Victoria Azarenka (WTA-16) with 6-4 and 6-2 in 1 hour and 07 minutes. In the quarterfinals she had already grabbed the scalp of the American Madison Keys (WTA-28).
In the final, Samsonova will face the Swiss Belinda Bencic (WTA-12), who eliminated the French Alizée Cornet (WTA 63) 7-5 and 6-4.
Liudmila Samsonova surprises at WTA tournament in Berlin “/>Photo: ISOPIX
The 24-year-old Bencic will play a final for the twelfth time. She is aiming for a fifth WTA title, after victories in Eastbourne and Toronto in 2015 and Dubai and Moscow in 2019.
Samsonova and Bencic have never played against each other before.
Daria Kasatkina in WTA Birmingham final against Ons Jabeur
The 24-year-old Russian Daria Kasatkina (WTA-35) and the 26-year-old Tunisian Ons Jabeur (WTA-24) will compete for the title on the grass of Birmingham ($235,238) on Sunday. In the semifinals, Kasatkina won 6-2 and 6-4 against the American CoCo Vandeweghe (WTA-203) on Saturday. Jabeur eliminated British Heather Watson (WTA-70) twice 6-3.
Kasatkina can bring a fifth WTA title to her record and a third this season. In 2017 she won in Charleston, in 2018 in Moscow. This year she was already the best in St Petersburg and in the Phillip Island Trophy in Melbourne. Jabeur hopes to wipe the zero off her palmares after her third final. In 2018 she was runner-up in Moscow, where she lost 2-6, 7-6 (7/3) and 6-4 in the final to Kasatkina, this year in Charleston.
The final of the hard court tournament in Moscow was the only previous game between Kasatkina and Jabeur.
Liudmila Samsonova surprises at WTA tournament in Berlin “/>Foto: Action Images via Reuters
ATP Halle: Rublev in final against Humbert
The 22-year-old Frenchman Ugo Humbert (ATP-31) and the 23-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev (ATP-7) will play the final of the ATP tournament in Halle, Germany (1,318,605 euros) on Saturday.
In the semifinals Humbert knocked out Canadian Félix Augier-Aliassime (ATP-21) 6-4, 3-6 and 7-6 (7-5) on Saturday. Earlier in the day, Rublev, fourth seed on the grass in Saxony-Anhalt, had beaten Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili (ATP-30) 6-1, 3-6 and 6-3.
Humbert is in the final of an ATP tournament for the third time, he also won the previous two: last year in Auckland and Antwerp. Rublev is going for a ninth title in his twelfth final, the third this season, He already has Umag (2017), Moscow (2019), Vienna, Saint Petersburg, Hamburg, Adelaide and Doha (2020) and Rotterdam (2021) on his track record.
Rublev played against Humbert twice before and won both games. In 2019 he defeated the Frasman on the clay of Monte-Carlo in the qualifiers 6-4 twice, last year in the eighth finals on the hard court in St Petersburg 4-6; 6-4 and 7-5.
