Tennis player Hubert Hurkacz of Poland earned his first semi-final berth in a top-level ATP event after upsetting Greece’s tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Miami Open.
The no. 26 seek beet no. 2 seed with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 unexpected victory, his second against the Greek player and his third straight win when facing a top-5 opponent.
Tsitsipas started off well and raced into a 6-2, 2-0 lead, but then he lost momentum. After that, the Greek player became increasingly erratic as the game progressed.
Tsitsipas was left trying to grapple with how he squandered a promising lead in a tournament where the absences of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer could have offered him a chance to shine.
“I felt like it was my opportunity,” Tsitsipas said. “I feel like there was more space for me to show something greater. It’s a very disappointing loss.
“It was there, everything was under control. And suddenly, I don’t know, self-explosion.
READ MORE: Sakkari blitzes through Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka
“Australia’s Ashleigh Barty rolled into a 6-3, 6-3 victory over fifth-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in the tournament she last won in 2019 after opting not to travel outside Australia last year due to the global pandemic, while also withdrawing from Doha and Dubai last month due to a leg injury. She received treatment for an abdominal issue between sets on
Thursday but said she’ll be “right as rain” in her showdown on Saturday against either eighth-seeded Canadian Bianca Andreescu or 23rd seed Maria Sakkari.
Sakkari, the steady Spartan player, shocked Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the quarter finals.
The 25-year-old blitzed through her opponent, 6-0, 6-4.
Sakkari broke second seeded Osaka’s 23 match winning streak in a 69 minute quarter final match, also making it her sixth career win over a top five opponent.”She has the most wins so far this year so she’s in great form — it meant a lot to me,” Sakkari said during her post match interview.