French Open finalist cruises into semifinals
There have been few true challenges for Stefanos Tsitsipas at Canada’s National Bank Open this year.
Sure, Ugo Humbert of France forced the Greek No. 3 seed into a third set with an extended tiebreak in the second round, but the French Open finalist has been a dominant force on the court all week, winning each subsequent match in straight sets.
He clinched his spot in the semifinals on Friday with a solid 6-1, 6-4 win over No. 6 seed Casper Ruud.
“Every single opponent that I’ve had to face is someone that has played good in the past and has the level to face me straight. And I’ve dealt with these situations really well,” Tsitsipas told reporters after the match.
Ruud, the world No. 12, came into Friday on a 14-match win streak, having collected recent victories at tournaments in Austria, Switzerland and Sweden.
Success on Canadian soil is nothing new to Tsitsipas. He made it to the finals in 2018, losing to Rafael Nadal.
He said, though, that a place in this year’s finals is no guarantee.
“I still have a few more matches to go, so not much to compare there, honestly. I’m happy where my game is at right now,” said the world No. 3, who turned 23 on Thursday.
He’s next to face American qualifier Reilly Opelka, who edged No. 10 seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 6-3, 7-6(1).
Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka, both of Belarus, kicked off the quarterfinals at the women’s tournament in Montreal on Friday, with the No. 1 seed Sabalenka taking a 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Other quarterfinal action was set to pit Italy’s Camila Giorgi against No. 15 seed Cori Gauff of the U.S. Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur — who bested Canada’s Bianca Andreescu in thirdround action on Thursday — was scheduled to face American qualifier Jessica Pegula in the final match of the day.
No Canadian singles made it to the quarterfinals, but Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and doubles partner Luisa Stefani of Brazil secured a spot in the semifinals when they downed Sabalenka and Elise Mertens of Germany 6-2, 6-2 on Friday.