Stefanos Tsitsipas cruised past Nishioka for a semifinal berth at the Lyon Open where he will face
Lorenzo Musetti.
Tennis at the Lyon Open has been business as usual for Tsitsipas who continued to play on the red dirt. After defeating Nishioka Tsitsipas improved to 31-8 on the year and 14-3 on clay. Speaking on his match against Nishioka, Tsitsipas admitted he was glad to win by playing good tennis:
“It was a good match from my side, he was serving well. His game is a little unpredictable and he is one of the best left-handers out there. It’s never easy to construct the point and he is able to penetrate and play shots you don’t expect. I knew he was going to fight and not give up. I am pretty glad to have won.”
His next opponent is Lorenzo Musetti from Italy who enjoys clay as much as Tsitsipas do. It will be their 2nd match in 2021 having played in the ATP Acapulco semifinals. Stefanos was able to win that match 6-1 6-3 but the conditions in Lyon are quite different which he highlighted himself:
“We played in different conditions [in Acapulco], on a hard court. The conditions here are different. We share similar games with a one-handed backhand, which is beautiful to see. Tomorrow is going to be serious business and I know he can play well on this surface and elevate his game."
Tsitsipas also admitted to being a fan of his game and expecting great things for Musetti in the future:
“I have been following his performances, he has been improving a lot and has a good record on clay, beating some good opponents. I expect big things for him.”