The Vienna final is Draper vs. Khachanov

Both the Briton and the Russian led by a ratio of 6:2.6:4. For Jack Draper, this is his first ATP 500 final.

The new winning face at the €2.626 million Erste Bank Open in Vienna belongs to either Jack Draper or Karen Chatschanow. The Briton, ranked No. 7, defeated Italian Lorenzo Musetti (No. 6) on Saturday after 1:48 hours, with a time of 6:2,6:4. Then, unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov ousted the tournament's second seed, Australian Alex de Minaur, with the same score. The final will be played on Sunday (2pm/Live on ServusTV).

Draper is the fourth Briton to reach the Stadtthal final, after Greg Rusedski (1996), Tim Henman (1999) and Andy Murray (2014, 2016). “I'm very happy to be in my first 500 final. It's nice that all the work I've put in is being rewarded,” Draper said happily. However, he had some difficulties with his physical condition at the end.

“Challenge because I was very sick”

“I knew this week was going to be tough because I was very sick. I had a little injury in Asia and then I got tonsillitis,” Draper said. He is someone who sweats a lot on the pitch and sometimes has difficulty absorbing enough fluid. In the head-to-head matchup with Musetti, Draper made it 3-0.

The 22-year-old Draper is reaching his first ATP 500 final, his fourth overall. The US Open semi-finalist won his first ATP tournament in Stuttgart this year.

Khachanov then continued his current winning streak. The newly crowned Almaty champion took advantage of the momentum from Kazakhstan well and, like Draper, only gave up one set on her way to the final for a check for €461,920.

“I feel good. “There's nothing to complain about, right?” Khachanov said in the mixed area of ​​City Hall. “This is what you work for. Once things are going that way, you want to keep it that way. “I don't want to put any extra pressure on myself, I just want to enjoy the way I'm playing at the moment,” the Russian player said after his eighth consecutive victory.

Khachanov leads head-to-head with a score of 2:1

Khachanov has a 2-1 record against Draper, but it wasn't until this year that the Briton really started looking his best. “I know him very well. He has reached the final and is having his best season yet.” Khachanov was circumspect about Draper's comments that he was extremely exhausted by the effects of his illness. “It's good to know, but he has time to get scared. In the final, you always have an extra push and more adrenaline – he will be ready.

Like Daniil Medvedev last year, Khachanov became Russian again in the final. Ahead of the anniversary final of the 50th edition of the Stadthalle, it is clear that none of the contenders for a place in the ATP Finals in Vienna have managed to score big points in the battle in the field of top eight. Casper Ruud (Norway) and Andrei Roblio (Russia) will remain in seventh and eighth places despite previous defeats in Basel. De Minaur could have moved up to seventh place by winning the championship. (Abba)