Steve Johnson beats Ernests Gulbis in Vienna to reach first career final

VIENNA (AP) Steve Johnson of the United States advanced to his maiden ATP final by defeating Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6–3, 7–6 (4) at the Erste Bank Open on Saturday.

The 47th-ranked American will play top-seeded David Ferrer of Spain or sixth-seeded Gael Monfils of France in Sunday's final.

After losing three semifinals in his career, the 25-year-old Johnson became the first American to reach the final here since Andre Agassi, who went on to win the title in 1994.

Johnson, who had 12 aces, led 6–3, 4–3 when he lost serve on the only break point he faced in the entire match. He closed out the win on his second match point in the tiebreaker.