This year’s Australian Open semifinalist Stefanos Tsitsipas beat lucky loser Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-4 6-3 in 68 minutes in the quarter final at the Open 13 in Marseille.
Tsitspas dropped 12 points in 10 service games and never faced a break point to reach his second semifinal of the season. Stakovski saved four of the six break points he faced and dropped his serve once in each set.
The first set went on serve until the 10th game, when Tsitsipas got the break on his second break point to wrap it up 6-4.
Tsitsipas went up an early break at 1-0 at the start of the second set and held his service games until the ninth game, when he sealed the win with a forehand winner.
“I know that I can play well, but the biggest challenge is to play even better match by match”,said Tsitsipas.
The reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion will face a semifinal clash against David Goffin, who beat former Marseille champion Gilles Simon 6-2 6-4 after 1 hour and 28 minutes. The Belgian player has reached his first semifian since Cincinnati last year.
Goffin never faced a break point and converted three of hi sten break points.
Simon saved three break points in the first game, but he dropped his serve in the fifth game. Goffin broke for the second time in a row in the seventh game with a forehand winner and wrapped up the first set 6-2 with a volley winner.
Simon saved two break points and kept his pace with Goffin until 4-4 before the Belgian broke serve and held his serve with an ace to close out the first set 6-4.
Mikhail Kukushkin beat Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-1 in 65 minutes to reach his first semifinal since Vienna 2018. Kukushkin earned his first break in the fourth game. Rublev broke back in the ninth game, as Kukushkin was serving for the first set at 5-3. Kukushkin broke again in the 10th game to close out the first set. Kukushkin raced out to a 5-0 lead in the second set with a double break in the second and fourth games, but he needed four match points to seal the win.
Kukushkin will take on French Next Gen player Ugo Humbert, who beat German qualifier Matthias Bachinger 6-3 6-3 after 80 minutes to reach his maiden ATP semifinal in the home tournament. Humbert dropped nine points on serve and converted three of his eleven break points.
Humbert got his first break in the eighth game when Bahinger made a double fault and sealed the first set 6-3 in the next game with three winners. Bachinger dropped his serve at the start of the second set and did not convert four break point chances in his next two return games. Humbert sealed the win with another break in the ninth game with a smash winner.
“The match went very well. I prepared well and watched some some videos. I am very happy with my level. I didn’t let him play and was aggressive. I watched him against Fernando Verdasco yesterday. I served well, although I have not checked the percentage yet. My family is here as well. I don’t see them very often, so I am very happy that they can be here with me”, said Humbert.
