Joao Sousa halts Elias Ymer, to face Emil Ruusuvuori in ATP Tata Open final

Portugal’s Joao Sousa, who has been on the ATP Tour for over a decade, used all his experience to edge past Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer after saving three match points for a 5-7, 7-6(4), 7-5 victory in the semi-finals of the ATP Tata Open Maharashtra in Pune on Saturday.

The 32-year-old Sousa was playing catch up for much for the first two sets as well as the third, but played the decisive points much better. The world No. 137 will take on young Emil Ruusuvuori from Finland in what will be his 11th ATP final on Sunday. Sousa last won an ATP title in 2018, and has battled a foot injury for the last two years.

“This means a lot,” an emotional Sousa said on court. “I just kept believing, pushing myself, and somehow found a way to turn it around.”

Ymer, a 163rd ranked qualifier who knocked out top seed and world No 15 Aslan Karatsev in the Round of 16, seemed in a hurry, going two breaks up for a 4-1 lead. Sousa got a break back and Ymer dished out three double faults while serving for the set, prolonging the opening act before it ended the Swede’s way.

After a rush of breaks, the Portuguese evened things up in the second set tie-breaker. The drama of the decider followed. On serve at 4-5, Sousa thwarted three match points with a combination of brilliance from the baseline and Ymer going for too much in attacking the second serve. 

In the next game, Ymer saved three break points himself before Sousa converted the fourth. The Portuguese, despite his wobbly first serves, closed out the match at the first time of asking on his serve.

In the first semi-final, Ruusuvuori—who ousted defending champion Jiri Vesely to be the only seeded player in the last four—entered the final after defeating Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak 6-3, 7-6(0). 

The 22-year-old, ranked 87th, maintained his composure towards the end of the second set when Majchrzak went a break up and threatened to turn things around. Ruusuvuori got the break back while Majchrzak served for the set to take it to a tiebreaker, where he dominated the Pole who had knocked out second seed Lorenzo Musetti on Friday.