Stefanos Tsitsipas sweeps Yannik Hanfmann aside, advances to European Open semifinal

Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Yannik Hanfmann in straight sets and secures a place in the semifinals of the European Open.

The world No. 7 has rediscovered his form this week with his second consecutive victory, earning him a spot in the tournament's semifinals. As the first seed, he had a bye in the first round and then defeated Botic van de Zandschulp 7-5, 6-3 in the round of 16.

In today's match, he faced the 5th seed, Yannik Hanfmann, who had overcome Dominic Thiem in a hard-fought battle, winning 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. In their head-to-head encounters, the German led 1-0 in their only previous meeting.

The first set was a swift task for Tsitsipas, who needed just 30 minutes to clinch it at 6-3. Despite a solid start in which both players held their serves comfortably, the sixth game proved crucial for the Greek to take the lead. With unwavering service, he didn't allow his opponent any opportunities to break.

Hanfmann applied more pressure on Tsitsipas's serve in the second set and had two break points in his favor, but he couldn't capitalize on them. Tsitsipas's consistency enabled him to seize his chance in the seventh game, taking a 4-3 lead.

After holding his serve once more, Tsitsipas capitalized on Hanfmann's nerves, as the German played imprecisely in the ninth game and couldn't hold his serve. As a result, Tsitsipas won the match 6-3, 6-3.

Tsitsipas was nearly impeccable with his serving, landing 70% of his first serves and winning 80% of those points. He also won 67% of the points on his second serve.

As he looks to reach the tournament's final, Tsitsipas awaits his opponent, either the 4th seed Arthur Fils or the 8th seed Juan Pablo Varillas. This marks Tsitsipas's first semifinal appearance since winning the Los Cabos Open and is a positive sign of leaving behind the inconsistent performances of the past few months.