Andy Murray, 68th in the world rankings, surprises first seed Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open; The 35-year-old will face Nick Kyrgios for a place in Sunday’s final after his opponent Marton Fucsovics was forced to retire during the second set.
Last updated: 10/06/22 18:17
Andy Murray sealed his best win of the year with an impressive win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in Stuttgart
Andy Murray put on a vintage show against first seed Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the Stuttgart Open semifinals on Friday.
The former world number 1, currently ranked 68th in the world, achieved one of his biggest victories since undergoing hip surgery in 2019 while continuing his impressive form on the grass in Germany this week beating Tsitsipas by 7-6 (7-4) 6. -3 in an hour and 40 minutes to make the final four.
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Murray earned 82 percent of first-serve points
65 percent of second serve points in his first Top 5 victory since 2016, when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the ATP Finals to seal No. 1 at the end of the year.
Murray’s last touring semifinal came on the grass: 2016 at Wimbledon, which he won
Murray said in his on-track interview, “I thought I did well. He served incredibly well in the first set and I had very few chances when he came back.
“But when I was creating opportunities in my service I stayed strong. I played a very solid tiebreaker and in the second set I served well as he went down a bit.
“Once I was in the rallies, I felt like I was dictating a lot of points, so it was a good performance.”
Murray said he was happy to reach top speed on his favorite surface.
“I don’t mean he was the smartest player, but maybe this surface fits my style. Stefanos plays well on all surfaces, but that works great for my game and I’m able to make better use of my strong points”.
In a tight match, the 35-year-old Scot saved a seven-point lead at 6-6 in the first game before sealing him in a tie-break and broke Tsitsipas to advance 4-2 in the second in his way to get an awesome. win in his third match point and avenge his defeat to Tsitsipas at the U.S. Open last year.
Murray will play Nick Kyrgios for a place in Sunday’s final. The Australian made progress after his opponent Marton Fucsovics was forced to retire during the second set. Kyrgios was leading 7-6 (7-3) 3-0 at the time.
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Matteo Berrettini, the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up, reserved his place in the last quarter of the ATP 250 event with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over compatriot Lorenzo Sonego.
He then faces local favorite Oscar Otte, who passed after a pass from Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi.
Swiatek skips the Berlin event with a shoulder problem, Wimbledon points out
Iga Swiatek is on a 35-win streak and won her second French Open title last weekend
In other news, French Open champion Iga Swiatek will miss next week’s Berlin Open WTA 500 tournament due to a shoulder problem, but the world number one is waiting be fully fit for Wimbledon from Monday 27 June.
Swiatek defeated American Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in the Roland Garros final last week to win her second Grand Slam title after a 2020 Paris victory.
However, he will now go to Wimbledon without any pre-tournament.
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“Due to a recurring discomfort I feel in my shoulder, unfortunately, I have to retire from the Berlin bet1open,” Swiatek tweeted.
“I’m sorry I can’t play there. I’ll focus on recovery and rest to be ready for Wimbledon.”
Swiatek has been in great form recently and has won 35 games in a row, equaling the longest streak of unbeaten games of this century since Venus Williams in 2000.
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