Alexander Shevchenko advanced to his maiden tour-level final on Friday at the Moselle Open, where he overcame French wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 6-4 to continue his dream week in Metz.
The 22-year-old defeated Karen Khachanov to reach his first ATP Tour semi-final and backed up that win with a dominant display against Herbert to become the youngest Metz finalist since Lucas Pouille, 22, in 2016.
"It means the world to me," Shevchenko said. "I have dreamt of this moment since I was a little kid. Going to sleep I thought maybe I could play in an ATP final and I did it. I will always remember this moment and it is something special."
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Shevchenko broke Herbert’s serve three times and struck eight aces to advance after 77 minutes at the ATP 250 event. He will face fourth-seeded Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the title match.
Shevchenko is up 14 places to No. 49 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and is set to move to a new career-high on Monday. Earlier this year, the 22-year-old won two ATP Challenger Tour titles and advanced to the quarter-finals in Basel.
Hembert defeated Fabio Fognini 6-0, 6-2 to reach his fourth tour-level final and first since Halle in 2021. The Frenchman will reach the Top 20 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time if he wins the title in Metz. The last Frenchman to climb into the Top 20 was Gael Monfils in August 2022.
The 25-year-old Humbert is chasing his fourth tour-level trophy this week. He triumphed in Auckland and Antwerp in 2020 and Halle in 2021.
