LYON/STARNBERG, May 21, 2021
Stefanos Tsitsipas continued his fine run of form this week by reaching the semi-finals of the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon. The No. 2 seed is yet to face a break point at the ATP 250 clay-court tournament after beating Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan 6-3, 6-4 on Friday afternoon.
Tsitsipas sent down four aces and won 81 per cent of his first-service points and 91 per cent of his second-service points to advance after 66 minutes.
‘He’s one of the best left handers out there in the game’
Kind words from @steftsitsipas to @yoshihitotennis after their match in Lyon! pic.twitter.com/24ZNtQegIC
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 21, 2021
“It was a good match from my side, he was serving well,” said Tsitsipas. “His game is a little unpredictable and he is one of the best left-handers out there. It’s never easy to construct the point and he is able to penetrate and play shots you don’t expect. I knew he was going to fight and not give up. I am pretty glad to have won.”
The 22-year-old from Greece will next take on #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated Aljaz Bedene from Slovenia 6-3, 7-6(2) in one hour and 34 minutes. Musetti will appear in his third semi-final on the ATP Tour since October.
“We played in different conditions [and] on a hard court,” said Tsitsipas, who beat the 19-year-old in the stage of the final four at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco in March.
“The conditions here are different. We share similar games with a one-handed backhand, which is beautiful to see. Tomorrow is going to be serious business and I know he can play well on this surface and elevate his game.”
Khachanov advances
In other action, Karen Khachanov booked his spot in the semi-finals following a 6-1, 7-6(3) win over French veteran Richard Gasquet. The eighth seed from Russia capitalized on all of his four break-point chances to advance after one hour and 25 minutes.
Khachanov will play either Cameron Norrie or French lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech. Their quarterfinal match was suspended due to rain with the Briton leading 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 and will resume Saturday morning.
