VIENNA (AP) β Steve Johnson of the United States advanced to his maiden ATP final by defeating Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-3, 7-6 (4) at the Erste Bank Open on Saturday.
The 47th-ranked American will play top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain or sixth-seeded Gael Monfils of France in Sunday’s final.
After losing three semifinals in his career, the 25-year-old Johnson became the first American to reach the final here since Andre Agassi, who went on to win the title in 1994.
Johnson, who had 12 aces, led 6-3, 4-3 when he lost serve on the only break point he faced in the entire match. He closed out the win on his second match point in the tiebreaker.
