Citi Open: Kevin Anderson, Alexander Zverev advance to final

South African Kevin Anderson advanced to his first ATP Tour final in two years, beating Jack Sock in the semifinals of the Citi Open on Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C.

The 15th-seeded Anderson took out the eighth-seeded Sock with a 6-3, 6-4 victory in a 91-minute match. In the second semifinal, fifth-seeded Alexander Zverev knocked off second-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan by the same 6-3, 6-4 score.

Anderson and Zverev will meet in Sunday's final at this ATP Tour hard-court event. The two faced off in May at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, with Zverev winning a hard-fought, three-set match.

"For me, it's really just about focusing on coming out tomorrow and really playing the kind of tennis I want to be playing," Anderson said. "I feel like I'm on a great path, and if I continue to do that I'll give myself the best chance tomorrow."

Anderson, who was ranked as high as No. 10 in 2015 before injuries set him back, dispatched Sock with 12 aces and by saving five break points.

"It was definitely a tough match," Anderson said. "I felt I did quite a few things well today, couple things I thought I could have done a little bit better. But most importantly I was able to get the win and give myself a shot at the title tomorrow."

Anderson's last ATP Tour final was in August 2015 at the Winston-Salem Open. On Sunday, he'll be pursuing his fourth career title.

Anderson asserted himself early against Sock, winning the opening set in 36 minutes. In the second set, an early break set the tone.

"It's a great start to the summer," Anderson said. "It's obviously a very big tournament so I'm very pleased to be through to the finals."

So is Zverev. The 20-year-old from Germany handled Nishikori in 64 minutes to reach his first hard-court final.

Zverev had a break in the second game and won 94 percent of his first-serve points in the opening set with the aid of overpowering groundstrokes.

The 6-foot-6 Zverev broke Nishikori again in the third game of the second set and never faced a break point.