The amazing week continues for Stefanos Tsitsipas in Dubai, with the Greek champion having a real chance to win his first 500m title, but also to return to the Top 10 of the world rankings.
Playing very good tennis today, Tsitsipas subdued the in-form Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-4 and earned himself the last ticket to the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
For the second night in a row, Tsitsipas had to stay on the court until late, completing his triumph 10 minutes after midnight in Dubai.
He qualified for his first semi-final since last July in Gstaad, while in a hardcourt event it will be his first semi-final after exactly one year and the 250-meter Los Cabos in February 2024.
In today’s match, Tsitsipas managed to take the lead by winning the very close first set, where both players had chances towards the end.
In the 2nd set, Tsitsipas became somewhat disorganised, after a break he received in the 4th game. It was the 1st break of the match, with Berrettini making it 3-1 and shortly after reaching a 2nd consecutive break, to quickly take the 2nd set 6-1.
Tsitsipas, however, came back stronger for the 3rd set and put that bad 2nd set behind him, to make a new start. He was again solid and after the 15-30 he had in his first service game, he quickly closed his next games on serve and regained his rhythm.
It was Tsitsipas’ fourth victory in five meetings with Berrettini (4-1) and certainly an extremely valuable psychological victory for the 26-year-old Greek champion, who is looking for a way back to the Top 10 and the finals.
Tomorrow, around 5pm Greek time, Tsitsipas will have the opportunity to claim his return, facing Griekspoor in the semi-finals.
