Stefanos Tsitsipas battled to a 7(7)-6(5), 1-6, 6-4 win over Italy’s Matteo Berrettini to reach his first semi-final since July last year.
The Greek overcame mid-match woes in Dubai to win the tight three-set contest in one hour and 57 minutes.
The fourth seed recorded seven aces and an 82 per cent win rate on his first serve. He also earned only one break point, which came in the deciding game.
“It’s a great feeling to be back in the semi-finals of a tournament. I played good tennis to reach the semis of one of the biggest 500 tournaments in the world,” Tsitsipas said post-match.
“It was a difficult match today, there were lots of ups and downs. I thought my first set was a great effort, but I did not deliver in the second, I was pretty poor in the way I managed things.”
The match went past midnight local time, for which the 26-year-old thanked fans for staying to support him.
“I am super happy that I did my part and the crowd was also on my side, so thank you,” he said.
Tsitsipas will now face Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor for a place in the final.
