Tallon Griekspoor saved four match points before beating top-seeded Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5 to reach the semifinal at the Dubai Championships on Thursday.
“When I won the second set, I was actually thinking ‘how am I even still in this tournament?’ I probably should have been on the plane to Indian Wells already,” said the Dutchman, ranked No. 47.
“Sometimes you’ve got to be a little bit lucky,” he added.
Griekspoor had survived a first-round encounter with Roman Safiullin by saving three match points. He then eliminated defending champion Ugo Humbert on Wednesday.
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“It’s my best win by ranking,” Griekspoor said after his quarterfinal victory over No. 6 Medvedev. “Just very pleased with this win. It means a lot.”
Griekspoor will meet fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas for a shot at the title. Tsitsipas beat Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-4.
Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 to set up a semifinal against qualifier Quentin Halys, who eliminated Luca Nardi 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com