Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp reached the Winston-Salem Open final after a 6-4, 7-5 win over Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex on Friday night. The victory comes soon after his earlier win over China’s Yunchaokete Bu, making for a quick two-match day and his third ATP Tour final appearance.
“It was quite a quick two hours, but I think I did well tonight,” Van de Zandschulp said. “You really have to hold your own service games. If you get broken once, most of the time the set is over… When trying to return, you try to adjust your position a little, to guess where he’s going to serve. Reacting is quite difficult, so you have to guess a bit.”
Trailing 3-5 in the second set, the Dutchman flipped the script, winning the last four games. He broke Perricard twice and closed out with a hold to love to seal the victory. Ranked No. 92, Van de Zandschulp will face Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in the final.
Van de Zandschulp’s path to the final included a dramatic run through the field: he defeated China’s Yunchaokete Bu (6-3, 5-7, 6-3) in the quarters after earlier beating Argentinian Sebastian Baez, the No. 10 seed (0-6, 6-1, 6-4), Italian Matteo Arnaldi, the No. 6 seed (6-3, 6-3), and Australian Adam Walton (2-6, 7-5, 6-3) in previous rounds.
Perricard, ranked No. 42, had earlier defeated Serb Hamad Medjedovic (7-6(8), 6-2), No. 8 seed Alexandre Muller (6-3, 6-2), and Spaniard Pedro Martinez Portero (2-6, 6-3, 7-6(3)) to reach the semifinals.
The semifinal result sets up a final between Van de Zandschulp and Fucsovics, with a potential breakthrough title and a strong statement ahead of the upcoming events on the ATP Tour. Van de Zandschulp’s performance signals a return to form and optimism for continued success on hard courts.
Summary: Van de Zandschulp outlasted Perricard in straight sets to reach his first ATP Tour final in over two years, following a two-match day with a previous win over Bu. He now eyes a first Winston-Salem title against Fucsovics, in what could be a springboard for a late-season push. Positive momentum and a resilient comeback style highlight his chances.