Tsitsipas overcomes Auger-Aliassime to reach Acapulco semifinal

Stefanos Tsitsipas faced a stern challenge on Thursday night, but was able to battle past rising star Felix Auger-Aliassime and secure his semifinal berth at the 2021 Abierto Mexicano Acapulco.

The second-seeded Greek started off poorly, losing his opening serve to the Canadian. However, he managed to level the score at 3-3, with neither man giving much away. Nonetheless, it was Auger-Aliassime who faltered when serving to stay in the set at 5-6, as Tsitsipas played some incredible defense coupled with an amazing passing shot to steal the first set 7-5.

Undeterred, Auger-Aliassime broke his Greek opponent again early in the second set. He employed his huge serve and precise forehand to keep Tsitsipas at bay, claiming the second set 6-4.

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It came down to a decider, with Tsitsipas's experience shining as each point became more crucial. The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion broke his younger opponent to love at 4-3, and served out the match to escape with a 7-5 4-6 6-3 win after two hours and four minutes.

Tsitsipas will face the winner between fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov and Italian qualifier Lorenzo Musetti, with a potential final showdown versus top seed Alexander Zverev.

Click here for live scores and results from Acapulco.

ATP Tour on Twitter: "Simply incredible defence 😅 @steftsitsipas #AMT2021 https://t.co/36zUxYxVBO" / Twitter