On Sunday, the 2023 ATP Delray Beach Open semifinal between Serbia's Radu Albot and Moldova's Miomir Kecmanovic, the fourth seed, will take place.
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Miomir Kecmanovic has been a highly reliable performer on the tour over the past year, regularly making it to the quarterfinals and semifinals. Yet the Serb hasn’t appeared in a championship game in a while. The 23-year-old is one victory away from reaching his first career final at Delray Beach since claiming his lone ATP championship in Kitzbuhel in 2020. The fourth seed has already won two straight matches on their journey to the playoffs. He eliminated Marcos Giron 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 in the quarterfinal on Friday after defeating Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-5 in the round of 16. Kecmanovic defeated the world no. 55 on Friday in a match that lasted one hour and 38 minutes. He served 8 aces, held 6 break opportunities, and saved 5 of his 6 break points. In the first set, which was ultimately decided in a tiebreak since there wasn’t much to choose between the two players, Giron broke Kecmanovic in the very first game. But the world number 33 promptly recovered the break, and in the sixth game, he took the lead with a second break. There were no more breaks throughout the game, as the Serbian easily advanced to his first season semifinal. He has only had one other notable performance this season, finishing in the quarterfinals of Adelaide-2. His overall record is 6-4.
Radu Albot continues to enjoy his hunting trips to Delray Beach. After shocking the second seed Tommy Paul in the quarterfinal on Friday, the Moldovan, who won his lone ATP title at this site in 2019, will compete for a place in a second final on Saturday. The world no. 113, who last week earned his first tour-level victory of the year in Dallas, has won three straight matches in Delray Beach, all in straight sets. In the first round, Albot overcame Fernando Verdasco 7-6, 7-6, and then easily defeated Aleksandar Vukic 6-4, 6-4. Albot dominated the whole quarterfinal matchup with the semifinalist from the Australian Open. Only two break points were presented to him during the match, and both of them were avoided. The Moldovan finished the rout in an hour and 17 minutes after breaking the world No. 18 twice in the first set and again in the second. Albot will be playing in his first quarterfinal since reaching the final four in Singapore in 2021. Can he win on Saturday and advance to a second Delray Beach final?
| Radu Albot vs Miomir Kecmanovic | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | February 18, 2023 |
| Surface | Hard |
| Tournament | Delray Beach Open |
| Stage | Semifinals |
| Time (India) | 01:30 A.M. |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| A. Vukic | 6-4, 6-4 (W) |
| F. Verdasco | 7-6, 7-6 (W) |
| J.J. Wolf | 6-3, 7-6 (L) |
| L. Krall | 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 (W) |
| G. Blancaneaux | 6-4, 7-6 (L) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| N. Borges | 3-6, 5-7 (W) |
| E. Gomez | 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 (L) |
| N. Jarry | 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (L) |
| T. Kokkinakis | 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 (L) |
| J. Kubler | 7-5, 6-7, 4-6 (W) |
Tied 1-1 (both in finals at the Challenger level in 2017 and 2018). In preparation for their semifinal matchup, former champion Radu Albot should find great encouragement in Miomir Kecmanovic’s inconsistent play and generally subpar performance this season.
Radu Albot and Miomir Kecmanovic will take on each other in the semi-finals of the 2023 ATP Delray Beach Open on February 19.
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