Fognini, Klizan Ensure First ATP Title in Russia

ATP Results: St. Petersburg Open (Sept 21, 2012)

By Tennis Now Staff

(September 22, 2012) -- Martin Klizan, playing at a career-high ranking of No. 45 after reaching the fourth round of the U.S. Open, outlasted Mikhail Youzhny 6-7(11), 6-4, 7-6(3) on Saturday. The Slovak has won four challenger titles in 2012, and also reached the semifinals of Kitzbuhel this summer. Today he needed to refocus after failing to serve out the match at 5-3 in the third set, and he did so nicely, closing out the match in three hours and forty-nine minutes.

Kizan's opponent in Sunday's final will be Italian Fabio Fognini. The Italian reached his second ATP final of his career and of the season when he defeated Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-3, 6-4.

Klizan and Fognini's success in the semifinals means that the ATP World Tour will see it's first first-time winner of the 2012 season on Sunday. There were ten first-time title winners on the ATP Tour in 2011.

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ST. PETERSBURG OPEN
St. Petersburg, Russia
September 17-23, 2012
$410,850 / ATP World Tour 250 ($468,350 Total Financial Commitment)

Surface: Hard

Tournament Website: St. Petersburg Open | Live Scores | Draws

RESULTS -- FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

Singles - Quarter-finals

[1] M Youzhny (RUS) d [7] G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 64 06 63

[3] M Klizan (SVK) d R Berankis (LTU) 63 62

[4] F Fognini (ITA) d R Bautista-Agut (ESP) 64 76(1)

D Gimeno-Traver (ESP) d F Cipolla (ITA) 62 75

Doubles - Quarter-finals

[4] F Moser (GER) / K Skupski (GBR) d L Kubot (POL) / M Youzhny (RUS) 63 76(4)

SCHEDULE -- SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

CENTRE COURT start 2:00 pm