Mahut goes for third title Rosmalen after victory against Querrey

Two times tournament winner Nicolas Mahut (ATP-49) has returned to the final of the Ricoh Open. The eighth seed needed three sets to fight off the fifth seed Sam Querrey (ATP-37): 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4.

In the opening set had no breaks, despite two break chances for both players. In the following tiebreak Querrey, the first American in the semi-final in Rosmalen since Michael Chang in 2000, lost the advantage of an early mini break.

At 6-5 the tournament debutant took the set because Mahut hit an easy forehand into the net.

The Frenchman also lost his opening set in the tiebreak in the quarter-final against second seed Bernard Tomic (ATP-23), but as before Mahut managed to gear up in the second and third set.

The break in the second set came early by the champion of 2013 and 2015, and the deciding break in the last set came in the ninth game.  

Mahut will play against Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller, seventh seed, in the final. The players have never played against each other before. Muller, who beat third seed Ivo Karlovic, will battle for his first tournament in his career.