“I’m absolutely thrilled with this win,” Tallon Griekspoor beamed after securing the biggest victory of his career, upsetting top seed Daniil Medvedev in a dramatic quarter-final clash at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
“I had to fight off a few match points in the second set… Daniil is an incredible player and competitor. He’s been at the top of the game for years, so this is a huge victory for me.”
The Dutch World No 47 fought back from a set down to clinch a hard-earned 2-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5 victory, surviving four match points in the process. His reward? A semi-final showdown against No4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Medvedev, visibly frustrated after the loss, smashed his racquet before offering a measured reflection.
[Tallon] started playing better in some moments. I do think in a way he got lucky with some shots, but that’s tennis. When I say ‘lucky,’ he also went for it, so he deserves it. It’s on his side this week, luck. Sometimes it happens: You go all the way like this – a little bit crazy. Let’s see where it brings him.
For now, it has brought him to his eighth ATP Tour semi-final, continuing an impressive run that has seen him fend off match points in earlier rounds against Roman Safiullin and defending champion Ugo Humbert.
“[Daniil] played unbelievably well in the first set. I wasn’t doing too much wrong, but he was just better. I just tried to hang in there, even after going a break down in the second. Once I broke back, I felt the momentum shift a little in my favour. I had some luck on the match points I saved and in the second-set tiebreak, and even when I had match points myself, it took a few tries to close it out.
Tsitsipas, meanwhile, is also relishing his return to form after battling past Matteo Berrettini 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-4 in a gruelling encounter that ended after midnight.
It’s a great feeling being back so deep in a tournament,” said the former World No3. It brings a smile to my face to know I’ve been playing good tennis to get to the semis of one of the biggest 500s. It was a difficult match, lots of ups and downs.
Elsewhere, Felix Auger-Aliassime continued his impressive run, securing a Tour-leading 15th win of the season with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory over former World No6 Marin Cilic.
Auger-Aliassime will face Quentin Halys in the final four, after the French qualifier battled back to defeat Lucky Loser Luca Nardi 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(5). Halys, who stunned third seed Andrey Rublev earlier in the tournament, was ecstatic. With just four players left in the draw, the stage is set for a thrilling conclusion in Dubai.
