Tsitsipas saves two match points to reach semi-finals

BARCELONA:

World number seven Stefanos Tsitsipas (pic) saved two match points to defeat Facundo Diaz Acosta and reach the semifinals of the Barcelona clay court tournament on Friday.

The Greek came through 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (10-8) after his 53rd-ranked Argentine opponent missed a match point in the 12th game of the deciding set.

Both men then saved more match points in the tie-breaker before Tsitsipas, a three-time runner-up at the Barcelona tournament, secured a ninth successive win following on from his Monte Carlo Masters title victory at the weekend.

“I was coming close to losing at certain moments in the match. It seemed like a mountain,” Tsitsipas said.

“I reminded myself that I have a headband that I wear here that has a mountain and that I need to climb it, so it kept me going.”

He added: “I feel like having so many matches under my belt and faced situations like this helps for sure.”

The 25-year-old Tsitsipas will face Dusan Lajovic, the world number 59 from Serbia, in the semi-finals. Lajovic knocked out 36th-ranked Arthur Fils of France 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in his quarter-final.

Casper Ruud, the world number six from Norway who was runner-up to Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo, eased past Italian Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-3.

“It is not easy. You are playing for a spot in the semi-finals,” said Ruud.

“I was able to come through in the end after a few crazy rallies.”

Argentinian Tomas Etcheverry also booked his place in the semi-finals with a hard-fought straight sets win over Britain’s Cameron Norrie.

Etcheverry, ranked 30 in the world, one place higher Norrie, edged a tight match 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-1) and will face Ruud for a place on the final.