Nishioka and Thompson to face off in Atlanta Open finale

The finals for thw Atlanta Open are set for today, July 28 with Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka facing off against Australian Jordan Thompson.

The matchup comes after Nishioka defeated Arthur Rinderknech and Thompson beat Juncheng Shang on Saturday.

The semifinals began with the youngest player in the tournament and the first Chinese player ever to advance to the Open’s semifinals against 30-year-old Thompson. Thompson broke Shang’s serve in only the third game and again in the ninth, leading to a 6-3 win. It seemed as though Shang was going to be steamrolled by the much more experienced Thompson. But Shang seemed to remember defeating Thompson at Indian Wells a few months prior, and came roaring back in the second set to beat Thompson 6-4 and force a third set.

GET MORE LOCAL SPORTS NEWS: Subscribe to Sideline, a weekly newsletter about sports. Click here .

Ultimately, though, Thompson’s experience won out. He saved a break point in the third with a serve and volley with a drop shot winner on the point and broke Shang’s serve on the second-to-last game to win 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

“I was speaking to [Shang] just before, I think I said I  was playing a little bit better than I did in Indian Wells,” Thompson said. “That can happen where one guy’s on and one guy’s off but I just played a whole lot better today and made a really great match of it. It came down to the wire and eventually I got there.”

Shang’s star is still on the rise, and the match was certainly close for so early in his career. Meanwhile, Thompson will look to add to his sole career title – won this year at Los Cabos – with a win in the Atlanta Open.

“An ATP title’s nothing to sneeze at,” Thompson said. “I only have one of them and I’ve said it before that guys go through their whole career without playing in a final, so to be in another final, hopefully I can go all the way. I won’t take it for granted.”

And his opponent will be Yoshihito Nishioka, who Thompson has lost to repeatedly in recent years.

“Yoshi’s another tricky lefty, such a good competitor, annoying game style,” Thompson said, a pained expression on his face. “I think I’ve only beaten him once and he’s probably beaten me five or six times. I feel like most of the time it’s been a battle. He’s definitely got my number.”

Nishioka defeated Arthur Rinderknech in three sets to advance to his first final of the year. The match was incredibly close, with both sides making a fair amount of unforced errors. Nishioka dominated the first set 6-3 and seemed poised to sweep the match in two sets. But his errors increased and Rinderknech played a tighter game and broke Nishioka’s serve in the seventh game. He went on to win the set 4-6 off a 128 mph ace.

The third set was a true battle of wills as both men clawed for the last spot. Late in the third, just as it seemed that the set was destined for a tiebreak, Nishioka broke Rinderknech’s serve on the final point to win 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

“He had a chance to break my service game first game in the third set,” Nishioka said. “It was a big game for me and I think he had a big chance but … I find a way. It can be both ways, and today it came to me.”

Upon hitting the winning shot, Nishioka collapsed to the ground in elation. But he knows his toughest battle is ahead.

“We know each other, many times playing together, even practice, and even playing from challenger events,” Nishioka said. “It’s gonna be a long rally for sure. He has great serve but I think he’s trying to come into the net maybe on service so I have to care about that. Ground stroke, it’s gonna be a battle for sure. It’s gonna be a mental battle tomorrow. We both want to win. Who can play aggressive, win important points like today.”

The final Atlanta Open men’s singles final is Sun., July 28 at 4 p.m. The men’s doubles will follow that match and features Andre Goransson and Sem Verbeek against Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow.

The post Nishioka and Thompson to face off in Atlanta Open finale appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta .