site.btaBulgarian Duo Storm into Historic All-Bulgarian US Open Junior Final

Tennis players Ivan Ivanov and Alexander Vasilev have qualified for a historic all-Bulgarian final at the US Open Boys’ Singles, securing a guaranteed title for Bulgaria in the tournament.

In Friday’s semifinals, top seed Ivanov defeated Zangar Nurlanuly 6-1 6-4. The Wimbledon junior champion left no chance for the representative of Kazakhstan in the first set, taking the lead in the match with a commanding 6-1. The second set was significantly more competitive, but the Bulgarian, who trains at Rafael Nadal’s academy, made a decisive break to go 2-1 up and served out the match to seal a 6-4 victory after just 76 minutes. Ivanov hit 25 winners compared to only 5 by Nurlanuly, although the Kazakh player committed fewer unforced errors: 12 to Ivanov’s 22.

Fifth seed Alexander Vasilev came from behind to defeat Luis Miguel 2-6 6-1 6-0. The Brazilian took the opening set, but in the following two sets, the Wimbledon boys’ semi-finalist allowed his opponent just one game. The match lasted 1 hour and 37 minutes, and although Vasilev committed nine double faults, they had no impact on the final outcome.