Tsitsipas advances to semis in Barcelona

BARCELONA: Greece superstar Stefanos Tsitsipas survived a major scare against Facundo Diaz Acosta of Argentina at the Barcelona Open, saving two match points to earn a dramatic three-set victory to advance to the semi-final.

Tsitsipas defeated Diaz Acosta 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(8) in a quarter-final clash and said it was “extremely difficult to sustain the same level throughout the entire match”. The Greek player said he came close to losing the match at certain moments and reminded himself that he wore a headband that had a mountain and that he had to climb it. “So, it kept me going,” Tsitsipas said after the match.

In a thrilling two-hour, 31-minute clash, Tsitsipas had the chance to serve out the match at 5-4 in the third set but hit two double faults in the game as Diaz Acosta broke back. The Argentine then failed to convert a match point on the Greek’s serve at 5-6, before both players saved match points in the third-set tie-break.

With little to separate them, it was Tsitsipas who stood tall on Pista Rafa Nadal, saving another match point at 6/7 in the tie-break before he converted on his third opportunity to triumph. After his ninth win in a row, the fifth seed collapsed to the court in delight before he rose to his feet to embrace Diaz Acosta, who served two costly double faults in the tie-break. Tsitsipas is chasing his second title of the season, having captured his third Monte-Carlo Masters crown last week. The 25-year-old, who is a three-time finalist in Barcelona, holds a 28-2 record against players ranked outside the Top 20 in the ATP Rankings on clay since the start of 2022.