Tsitsipas outwits Medvedev to set up French Open semi-final clash with Zverev
Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to the last four of the French Open on Tuesday night after a straight sets win over the second seed Daniil Medvedev.
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Medvedev went into the night session clash on centre court boasting six wins in seven meetings with the 22-year-old Greek.
But Tsitsipas took the first set 6-3 after 30 minutes. And he broke for a 2-1 lead in the second. But Medvedev levelled for 3-3 as he started to find his groove and give a better account of himself in the baseline exchanges.
A disastrous overhead smash handed Medvedev two set points. But Tsitsipas saved them. A first ace took him to game point and another powerful serve forced an error from Medvedev to make it all square at 5-5.
Dominant
In the ensuing tiebreak at 6-6, Tsitsipas carved open three set points at and he converted at the first time of asking with a forehand drive volley to take command of the match after one hour and 24 minutes.
In the third, Medvedev showed greater patience and poise as he nursed an early break of the Tsitsipas serve.
But he was reeled in and Tsitsipas nudged ahead.
Serving to take the set into a tiebreak, Medvedev imploded. He had three points to level at 6-6 but lost four points on the trot to face a match point. A cheeky underarm serve was dispatched ruthlessly to give Tsitsipas the set 7-5 and a place in the semis for the second consecutive year.
"I was happy that I fought to the end," Tsitsipas told the on-court interviewer Cedric Pioline. "I could have given up when I was 40-0 down but I kept fighting.
"I was playing against one of the best guys on the tour and I had to keep up my intensity. I think that was one of my best performances. I'm really happy with that."
Debut
Tsitsipas will play Alex Zverev after the German advanced to his first semi-final at the French Open.
The sixth seed endured a patchy start against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the early evening on centre court.
He struggled to assert himself against the unseeded Spaniard and bungled the chance to clinch the set when he served at 5-3.
Davidovich, though, was in an equally munificent mood. And he promptly dropped his own serve to hand Zverev the opener 6-4 after 49 minutes.
And the 22-year-old's generosity continued. Zverev wrapped up the second 6-1 and secured a double break to lead 4-1 in the third after 89 minutes.
The end did not appear far away for the world number 46 who was playing in his first quarter-final at a Grand Slam tournament
The contest finished seven minutes later 6-4, 6-1, 6-1.
“Its nice being in the semis," said Zverev. "But that does not satisfy me. I am playing good tennis but I hope I can play even better in the semi-final.”
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