“He’s an unbelievable player and hits the ball so, so hard,” said Tallon Griekspoor after knocking out reigning champion Ugo Humbert from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Wednesday night. “Somehow, I managed to break his rhythm a little bit and served really well towards the end of the match, so I’m very happy with the win.”
Griekspoor, ranked No47 in the world, staged a remarkable comeback to defeat World No15 Humbert 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. The Dutchman, who won the Doubles title here last year, had never advanced beyond the Round of 16 in singles but found his groove after dropping the first set.
Humbert, who defeated former World No1s Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev en route to last year’s title, looked in control early, breaking for 3-2 in the first set before serving it out. However, Griekspoor fended off three breakpoints in the second set before securing a decisive break for 4-2. In the third, he broke in the opening game and again for 4-1 before closing the match with three aces.
Reflecting on his previous meeting with Humbert, a tight three-setter in Montpellier in 2021, Griekspoor said, “I was serving for the match and had a couple of match points, so that one hurt. I’m happy to get my revenge a few years later.” His reward is a quarterfinal clash with top seed Medvedev.
Medvedev Moves Past Mpetshi-Perricard
Medvedev, the 2023 Dubai champion, advanced to the last eight with a 6-4, 6-4 win over French youngster Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard. Despite Mpetshi-Perricard’s powerful serve, Medvedev controlled the match, out-acing his opponent 6-3.
Honestly, much better than yesterday. I felt like my shots were really good. The plan was to be solid on my serve, and I managed to do it.
It’s crazy because we've both been on Tour for, at least, four years. We actually practice together quite a lot. I was very impressed by his level today; he was really going up during the match. Beating the defending champion is a great result. He’ll be a tough opponent.
Auger-Aliassime Battles into the Quarterfinals
Felix Auger-Aliassime secured his spot in the quarterfinals with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Portugal’s Nuno Borges. The Canadian has now reached four quarterfinals in his past six tournaments, with two resulting in titles.
I’ve been facing various tight situations in the past few weeks and months. It helps to keep your cool and trust yourself – even if your opponent is playing great. I’m happy I had a few wins behind me leading up to today.
Auger-Aliassime, who leads the Tour with 14 wins this season, will next face Marin Cilic, who edged past Alexei Popyrin 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
Tsitsipas Triumphs in Late-Night Battle
In the final match of the night, Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame Karen Khachanov 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-4 in a gruelling contest. Tsitsipas now meets Matteo Berrettini, who dismissed Christopher O’Connell 7-6, 6-2.
Thank you to everyone for staying out so late. It feels so late, but at least there was still an atmosphere. I tried my best to fight; it was amazing. I can’t describe anything just now; I’m exhausted.
Lucky Loser Nardi Continues Dream Run
Luca Nardi’s remarkable week continues after the Italian, who lost in qualifying but entered the draw as a Lucky Loser, reached the quarterfinals with a win over Belgium’s Zizou Bergs. He will face fellow qualifier Quentin Halys, who followed up his shock win over No3 seed Andrey Rublev by eliminating 2018 Dubai champion Roberto Bautista Agut.
Greek Star Tsitsipas Relishes First Appearance in Five Years as he Eyes a Third Final
