Stefanos Tsitsipas points towards his first title of the season after reaching the semifinals of the tournament in Rotterdam (Netherlands) after beating the Australian Alex de Miñaur by a double 6-4 to meet the Czech Jiri Lehecka who previously beat the Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
The Greek, fourth player in the world, aspires to inaugurate his record in 2022 after falling in the semifinals of the Australian Open. It is the only tournament of the course for the fourth player in the world who also participated with his country in the ATP Cup, although he did not pass the group stage.
Tsitsipas took an hour and a half to knock down De Miñaur, 34 in the world, who last year won two titles to raise his win count to five. The player from Sydney did not question the victory of the Greek who will seek the final in Saturday’s duel against Lehecka.
The Czech, 137 in the ranking, is the revelation of the tournament. Coming from the previous one, he kept the type against Musetti, who is seventy places ahead in the world ranking. Lehecka won in three sets, 6-3, 1-6, 7-5, after two hours and ten minutes.
For your part Auger-Aliassime, third favourite, knocked out Briton Cameron Norrie, sixth, also in two sets (7-5 and 7-6 (4)) to meet the winner of the duel between the Hungarian Fucsovics and the Russian Rublev, which lasted well into the night.
Sakkari and Kontaveit also do not fail in St. Petersburg
The first two favorites, the Greek Maria Sakkari, first, and the Estonian Annet Kontaveit, second, lead the semifinals of the tournament in Saint Petersburg (Russia) completed by the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko and the Romanian Irina Camelia Begu.
The Hellenic tennis player, who had never before been first seeded in a WTA tournament, reaffirmed her status with a win against Belgian Elise Mertens, eighth, by 7-6 (7) and 6-2. Sakkari resisted. She saved three set points in the opening set which she later won after two hours and seven minutes of play. The Greek will play her first semifinal of the year against the Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu, who defeated the Czech Tereza Martincova 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 25 minutes. Begu and Sakkari will meet for the third time. So far each has won one of the duels.
On the other side of the table, the Latvian Ostapenko remained in the competition. The 2017 Roland Garros champion needed three sets to put Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich on the road, by 7-6 (5), 4-6 and 6-3. She will play for a place in the final against Estonian Annet Kontaveit, second seed, who beat Swiss Belinda Bencic, fifth seed. The tennis player from Tallinn, ninth in the world, emerged victorious from the pulse maintained in the first set, which she resolved in the ‘tie break’ to close the match after one hour and 46 minutes by 7-6 (7) and 6-2 .