The short-lived Launceston International continues to throw up fairytale stories right until its last day.
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The 2017 tournament could not only be the setting of firsts for two of its singles finalists, but it delivered a tenacious comeback to keep dreams alive for another.
New Yorker Jamie Loeb was all the talk on Saturday, saving four match points shy of bowing out in straight sets to recover against American compatriot Asia Muhammad in her women’s semi-final.
Down 6-2 in the second set tiebreak after losing the opening set, the 21-year-old pulled off a series of down-the-line winners to capture seven of the next eight points.
The match appeared as tight as their sixth and fifth seedings suggested, but Loeb pushed on brilliantly to run through the third set for a 4-6, 7-6, 6-1 victory in two hours and 34 minutes.
Loeb can expect to carry momentum into Sunday’s final against rising Slovenian teenager Tamara Zidansek.
The fourth seed will be aiming for her biggest win of her short career on the WTA circuit. “This will be my first final of a tournament at this kind of level,” Zidansek said.
Zidansek believed she’s finally up for the final.
The 19-year-old dropped her first set of the campaign against Czech Barbora Krejcikova in four matches.
“I’ve been working very hard to get myself ready for this season, so I feel physically very good and mentally I am getting better,” she said.
Zidansek crucially broke twice in last set to come from behind to outwit and outplay Krejcikova 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.
“She was making every single ball, hitting it hard and attacking me,” Zidansek said.
“I knew I had to switch the momentum back to my side.”
Unseeded Texan Mitchell Krueger was the first man through to the final in a fighting 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 triumph over a gallant Mohamed Safwat.
“I’m super pumped to get through to the final. It was a tough match, but I am feeling good,” Krueger said.
“There was a lot of back-and-forth games, a lot of chances for both of us in the second set. The match was about two and a half hours, so it was a pretty physical.”
The Egyptian Davis Cup regular since 2009 looked to have Krueger’s measure late in the second set, breaking serve in a nailbiting ninth game. But the 23-year-old’s composure in the third showing the sort of resilience that can win him the title.
He came back in Friday’s quarter-final against Tsung-hua Yang 5-1 in the second set to win the next six games.
“It’s always tough losing a set and bouncing back in the third, knowing it’s do or die. It’s win or lose basically,” the world’s 212th player said.
Krueger now plays in his second-ever ATP Challenger final since losing in Binghamton, New York last year.
He will now strangely confront roommate Noah Rubin on court. Rubin, the seventh seed, defeated Krueger’s double partner, Daniel Nguyen, 6-3, 6-2 to set up an all-American final.
In the men’s doubles final, the all-Australian affair had third seeds Bradley Mousley and Luke Saville sealing a 6-2, 6-1 win in just 53 minutes over second seeds Alex Bolt and Andrew Whittington.