FORLI, June 18, 2021

Tomas Martin Etcheverry leads the semi-finals line-up at the Internazionali di Tennis Città di Forli. The €44,820 clay-court tournament is being held at the Circolo Tennis Villa Carpena Via Brando in Forli, Italy. The No. 7 seed from Argentina knocked off No. 4 seed Steven Diez of Canada 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday afternoon.

Etcheverry sent down five aces and won 69 per cent of his first-service points to prevail after two hours and 16 minutes.

“The first game of the match lasted 13 minutes, I was expecting a battle and so it was,” Etcheverry said. “This is my first tournament with spectators in the stands since last year’s lockdown. The crowd is very important, they give me a lot of energy.”

The La Plata native, who sits at a career-high ranking of World No. 204 and is seeking his first title on the ATP Challenger Tour, will next take on Mats Moraing. The 28-year-old German defeated Italian wild card entry Jacopo Berrettini 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 22 minutes.

“A month ago in Heilbronn I lost 6-3, 6-3. I will be prepared for the match to get a different result,” Etcheverry said.

Back in the Final 4⃣

🇩🇪 @mats_moraing moves into his first semi-final since 2019, surging past J Berrettini 63 64 in Forli.

🎥 @meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/1vSk1qGMX4

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) June 17, 2021

In the top half of the draw, Quentin Halys ended the run of Italian qualifier Francesco Forti. The No. 8 seed from France converted four of his 11 break-point chances to secure a 7-5, 6-3 victory in one hour and 33 minutes. Up next for Halys will be Portuguese veteran Gastao Elias, who edged past Raul Brancaccio from Italy 6-2, 6-3. The encounter lasted one hour and 26 minutes.

The first semi-finalist in Forli 👉 @QuentinHalys

The 🇫🇷 has not dropped a set all week, reaching his third SF of the year.

🎥 @meftennisevents pic.twitter.com/EXtvegHiFV

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) June 17, 2021