Ernests Gulbis stuns Isner to reach first final in four years

The 30-year-old Latvian, ranked 145 and who came through qualifying, has never lost a final and will bid for a seventh title on Sunday against world number 16 Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Ernests Gulbis of Latvia returns to John Isner of US, during their semi-final of the Stockholm Open tennis tournament | AP
Ernests Gulbis of Latvia returns to John Isner of US, during their semi-final of the Stockholm Open tennis tournament | AP

STOCKHOLM: Former top 10 player Ernests Gulbis reached his first final in four years on Saturday when he stunned top seed John Isner 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the Stockholm semi-finals.

The 30-year-old Latvian, ranked 145 and who came through qualifying, has never lost a final and will bid for a seventh title on Sunday against world number 16 Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The 20-year-old Greek player reached his third final of 2018, beating Italian second seed Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-2.

"The key to the match was to stay patient," said Tsitsipas, who was runner-up to Rafael Nadal in the Barcelona and Toronto finals this season.

"Fabio was going for shots and the beginning of the match was really tough. I was patient in the rallies. That is how I got the win today."

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