American rising star Nishesh Basavareddy continues to make history as he is into the Auckland semi-finals.
The 18 year-old is the youngest American since Reilly Opelka in 2016 to reach an ATP semi-final after he defeated Alex Michelsen 2-6 6-2 6-4 in Auckland.
Basavareddy only turned professional in December after dominating the Challenger tour last season and now finds himself at 133 in the world.
After another breakthrough week, the American finds himself into the last four in New Zealand and will now play Frenchman Gael Monfils in the last four having also knocked out defending champion Alejandro Tabilo in the second round.
Speaking after the match Basavareddy reflected on his performance and admitted he can do better on serve, “I didn’t serve great in the first set and he served really well, so it got away from me quickly. But I made some adjustments and I’m happy that I turned it around,” the American told the ATP website.
“It means a lot. This is one of my first ATP Tour events and to make a deep run gives me a lot of confidence going forward.”
If the American’s day couldn’t get any more surreal, it was confirmed that he would play ten-time champion Novak Djokovic in his Australian Open opener.
It will surely be an unforgettable next few days for Basavareddy who looks set to announce himself on the world stage.
The other semi-final in Auckland will see Zizou Bergs take on Nuno Borges.
