On the back of the straight-set victories, Tsitsipas will play Lorenzo Musetti for a place in the final.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas did little wrong in a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka at Lyon Open. The Greek player was at his lethal best to wrap up the match in 66 minutes. The World No. 5 next faces 19-year-old Italian Lorenzo Musetti. It is to be noted that Tsitsipas had defeated beat Musetti 6-1, 6-3 in Acapulco, Mexico, two months ago. “It was a good match from my side, he was serving well,” said Tsitsipas after the match.
“His game is a little unpredictable and he is one of the best left-handers out there. It’s never easy to construct the point and he is able to penetrate and play shots you don’t expect. I knew he was going to fight and not give up. I am pretty glad to have won.”
Earlier, Tsitsipas started as the brighter of the two and gained the first break to lead 4-2 in the first set. From there on, he did not have much trouble in seeing out the set. Tsitsipas, who lost just eight of his service points (40/48), gained a 2-1 lead in the second set. He then completed the formality to book a last four spot.
Lorenzo Musetti overcame a roller-coaster second set to enter the semifinals of Lyon Open. The 19-year-old Italian fought back from 2-5 down in the second set and served for the match at 6-5. But, he needed a tie-breaker in the end to win 6-3, 7-6 against Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia in one hour and 34 minutes.
“It was a crazy end,” said Musetti. “I was 6-5 up, and at 30/30 played a really bad volley and hit an underarm serve. Sometimes I go out of my mind. I am really proud of myself as I was 2-5 down in the second set and I stayed focused. I tried to play each point at my best.”
Elsewhere, eighth seed Karen Khachanov celebrated his 25th birthday with a 6-1, 7-6(3) victory over Richard Gasquet to enter his first clay-court semi-final. Once the match got over, the fans in Lyon sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to the Russian player. Khachanov will next face the winner of Arthur Rinderknech and Cameron Norrie.
