Marcos Giron continues celebrating tennis homecoming with declarative commitment.
The third-seeded Giron slashed 11 aces and saved all three break points he faced toppling top-seeded Daniel Evans 6-3, 7-5 to reach his first career ATP final.
It’s been a breakthrough tournament for the 29-year-old Giron, who won the NCAA singles title for UCLA in 2014.
Breaking new ground 👏
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 24, 2022
Californian Marcos Giron reaches his FIRST tour-level final with a 6-3 7-5 win over Evans!#SanDiegoOpen pic.twitter.com/xXQyP3iCSQ
At home on hard courts, Giron applied aggressive court positioning to pressure the Briton. Giron broke for 4-2 then streaked through 16 straight service points to take the opening set and level the second, 2-2.
Giron broke for 6-5 before serving out the match securing his spot in his first career ATP final in one hour, 46 minutes. Giron avenged a four-set loss to Evans at the 2021 US Open beating the Brit for the first time in three meetings. Evans has dropped his last four Tour-level semifinals.
“It’s great to be in the later stages, especially here in Southern California, where there aren’t that many events,” Giron said. “I really want to make the next step and… hopefully, go all the way. That’s why we play.”
The victory vaults Giron to No. 51 in the ATP Live rankings–just two spots from match his career high of No. 49.
Giron, who has not dropped a set in three tournament wins, will play either fellow Californian Brandon Nakashima or 130th-ranked Aussie Christopher O’Connell in Sunday’s final.