Winston-Salem Open 2017: Damir Dzumhur Advances to Final

The 2017 Winston-Salem Open continued Friday in North Carolina with two semifinal matches that will determine the players who are going to compete for a title.        

Roberto Bautista Agut is the top seed in the tournament, and he has already improved after a disappointing first-round exit at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati earlier this month. He's also gearing up for the U.S. Open and his first-round match against Andreas Seppi on Monday. 

The other three players left standing—Kyle Edmund, Damir Dzumhur and Jan-Lennard Struff—are not seeded and have a combined record of 48-60 in singles matches this season. 

Here are the results from the semifinals.

Winston-Salem Open Semifinal Results

Damir Dzumhur def. Kyle Edmund, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3

No. 1 Roberto Bautista Agut def. Jan-Lennard Struff, 6-2, 6-4

Winston-Salem Open Final

Damir Dzumhur vs. Bautista Agut

Winston-Salem Open Semifinal Recap

Damir Dzumhur def. Kyle Edmund, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3

After dropping the opening set at Center Court, Dzumhur responded with two consecutive set victories to defeat Kyle Edmund 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 to reach the 2017 Winston-Salem Open final Saturday. 

Edmund dominated the first set, having three aces and winning 14 of his 18 first-serve points. Two double faults from Dzumhur helped him out, and he was in control heading into the second set. 

Dzumhur never really settled into a groove, but he was able to do enough and keep Edmund off balance the rest of the way to reach his first ATP World Tour 250 final. The 25-year-old hit 13 aces and had 10 faults in the win. 

In the decisive third set, Dzumhur did save four out of five break points against him and converted two of his three break-point chances. Ranked No. 67 in the world, Dzumhur has lost just two sets in five matches leading into the final. 

No. 1 Roberto Bautista Agut def. Jan-Lennard Struff, 6-2, 6-4

Bautista Agut continued his prosperous run through the Winston-Salem Open on Friday when he ripped off a straight-set win over German challenger Jan-Lennard Struff to clinch a spot in the final for the second consecutive year. 

It was another thorough effort for the Spaniard, who has yet to drop a set since he arrived in North Carolina. 

"I'm so happy to be in the final again," Bautista Agut said, per the ATP World Tour's official website. "Today I played a very good match. It's been a great week for me."

The 29-year-old will now be heavily favored to capture a title as he prepares for a championship tilt against Dzumhur. 

Saturday's meeting will be the first between Bautista Agut and Dzumhur, and the tournament's No. 1 seed will be looking to capture his second singles title of the year if he can figure out his challenger in a hurry.