Marcel Granollers has taken down the champion at the bet-at-home Cup
The 27-year-old Spanish tennis player ended defending champion Robin Haase‘s two-year unbeaten streak at the bet-at-home Cup in a hard-fought semifinal on Friday, setting up a final against second-seeded Juan Monaco.
Granollers, the tournament’s eighth seed, beat Haase 7-6 (0), 3-6, 6-4. The Dutchman was 12-0 at the event going into the match, having won the title in 2011 and 2012. In the other semifinal, Monaco defeated seventh-seeded Albert Montanes of Spain 7-6 (2), 7-5.
Granollers took the first set against Haase with flawless attacking play in the tiebreaker after both players held serve throughout.
Early in the second, Haase managed the first break against Granollers but dropped his own serve the next game. Haase added another break for 4-3 and the Dutchman won five straight games to take the set and lead 2-0 in the third.
Haase missed two break points for 3-0, lost five of the next seven games before serving a double-fault on match point.
Granollers has gone beyond the quarterfinals of an ATP event for the first time this season. The 53rd-ranked Spaniard is looking for his fourth career title and first since beating Monaco in the final at Valencia two years ago.
Granollers is 2-1 against Monaco, although the Argentine won their only previous clay-court match in straight sets in 2008.