ATP Sydney: Seppi sinks Tsitsipas. De Minaur and Schwartzman advance
After reaching the quarter-final in Brisbane last week, the 5th seed Alex de Minaur is through to the semi-final in Sydney thanks to a 7-6, 6-3 win over Jordan Thompson in just under two hours. Last week in Brisbane, Alex lost just six games against another Sydney native and his good friend who fought much better today, overcoming a deficit to reach the tie break in the first set that lasted more than an hour. Both players had to play against seven break points and we saw seven breaks in total, four for Alex who made the crucial move in the eighth game of the second set to wrap up the win and avoid spending further time on the court on a rainy night in Sydney.
The youngster forged a lead already in the first game when he forced an error from Thompson who broke back in the very next game after a forehand mistake from de Minaur. They both needed some time to find the range and Jordan suffered another break in game three when his forehand landed long, missing a chance to pull it back in the sixth game and allowing Alex to serve for the set at 5-4. Out of sudden, de Minaur fired a forehand long to get broken at 15, prolonging the set that reached a tie break after two good holds on both sides and a short rain delay. Trailing 4-1, Alex shifted into a higher gear to win six straight points and complete the set with a service winner after 71 minutes.
They traded breaks at the start of the second set and it was de Minaur who had the upper hand in the closing stages, holding at love in game seven and breaking at 15 in the following game after a backhand error from Thompson, sealing the deal thanks to another backhand mistake from his rival in the ninth game to celebrate the win and the place in the semis. One youngster managed to reach the next round but the other had to end his run in the quarter-final, with the Italian veteran Andreas Seppi beating the top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and nine minutes.
Stefanos blasted 15 aces but also seven double faults, struggling on his second serve to get broke twice from five chances he offered to Seppi. On the other hand, the Italian lost just 22 points in 15 service games, fending off six out of seven break points to cross the finish line first with a single break in the closing stages of the deciding set. The Greek hit more winners, which was expected, but he also sprayed numerous errors from both wings, unable to impose his shots and make more damage on the return. It was a rock solid start from both, holding with ease in nine straight games before Stefanos earned a break at 4-5 with a well-constructed attack, moving ahead after 37 minutes and looking good to bring the encounter home after the second set.
Still, Seppi fought well despite that one service game he gave away, keeping the high level in set number two when he broke in the very first game following a forehand error from Tsitsipas. The top seed blasted two good serves in the ninth game to save set points and he had a chance to break back in the next game when he created three chances on Seppi's serve. A forehand let down Tsitsipas in the worst possible moment and Andreas erased the deficit to bring the set home with a drop shot winner and force a decider.
There, he saved two break points in the eighth game with some good hitting and he was rewarded in the following game when he broke Stefanos after a volley winner, securing the win with a hold at love in game 10 and staying on the title course. The 4th seed Gilles Simon reached the semi-final just like in Pune last week after a hard-fought 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 win over John Millman in two hours and 42 minutes, overcoming a 6-5 deficit in the decider to break back and grab the win in the tie break.
Quarter-final results:
[8]Andreas Seppi (ITA) vs [1]Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4-6 6-4 6-4 [3]Diego Schwartzman (ARG) vs[Q]Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 6-1 3-6 7-6(1) [4]Gilles Simon (FRA) vs John Millman (AUS) 7-5 3-6 7-6(3) [5]Alex de Minaur (ARG) vs [WC]Jordan Thompson (AUS) 7-6(4) 6-3
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2siUjSx
No comments