Reaching Barcelona's Semifinals, Tsitsipas Saves Two "Match Points"

Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas returned the ball to Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner during the semifinal match Monte Carlo Country Club, April 13, 2024. (AFP/VALERY HACHE)

JAKARTA - Efforts are not easy for world number seven Stefanos Tsitsipas to save two match points to beat Facundo Diaz Acosta and reach the semifinals of the Barcelona Open clay field tournament, Friday, April 19, local time.

The Greek tennis player won 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(10/8) after his opponent, who was ranked 53 from Argentina, failed to get a match point in the 12th game set of determinations.

Launching ANTARA, Saturday, April 20, the two men then saved more match points in the tie-break before Tsitsipas, runner-up three times at the Barcelona Open, winning their ninth straight win after winning the Monte Carlo Masters title at the end of last week.

Tsitsipas, 25, will face France's ranking 36 Arthur Fils or Dusan Lajovic, the world's 59th Serbian tennis player, in the semifinals on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Nepal Ruud, Norway's sixth-ranked tennis player who finished runner-up in Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo, beat Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-3.

"It's not easy. You play for a place in the semifinals," Ruud said, as broadcast by AFP on Saturday.

"I was finally able to qualify after several crazy rallies."

Argentine Tomas Etcheverry also confirmed his place in the semifinals through a difficult straight set win over Briton Cameron Norrie.

Etcheverry, ranked 30th in the world, one level higher than Norrie, won tight matches 7-6(7/4), 7-6(7/1) and will face Ruud for a place in the final.

"I spoke with my coach last night and also my team that I have to play aggressively to win this game," said the 24-year-old Etcheverry.

"Tie-break is key. I played very well in that part of the game," he concluded.