MUNICH: Germany's rising star Alexander Zverev will face Argentina's Guido Pella in Sunday's final of Munich's ATP clay-court tournament as the 20-year-old bids for his first title on home soil.
Hamburg-born Zverev has a shot at his third ATP title after beating second seed Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, a clay-court specialist, 7-5, 7-5 in Saturday's semi-final.
He fired down an ace to convert his first match point after one hour, 33 minutes in the Bavarian capital.
"I played well," said Zverev, who was cheered by the Munich crowd.
"I am happy to be in the final, it will be something special, because it is in Munich.
"Winning in Germany would be something amazing, something that I've dreamed about. But it's going to be a very tough match and I've got to stay focused."
Pella, 26, ranked 158th in the world, booked his final berth with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 win over South Korea's Hyeon Chung, 20, who had knocked out top seed Gael Monfils in the second round.
The 1.98m (six foot, six inches) Zverev, ranked 20th in the world, is on the rise after winning in St Petersburg last September and Montpellier in February.