Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands pulled off a stunning upset at the Dubai Championships on Thursday, saving four match points to defeat top-seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia 2-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-5 and advance to the semifinals.
After dropping the first set, Griekspoor found himself on the brink of defeat. “When I won the second set, I was actually thinking, ‘How am I even still in this tournament?’ I probably should have been on the plane to Indian Wells already,” the world No. 47 admitted. “Sometimes you’ve got to be a little bit lucky.”
This isn’t the first time Griekspoor has faced elimination in Dubai. In the first round, he saved three match points against Roman Safiullin of Russia. He then eliminated French defending champion Ugo Humbert on Wednesday.
“It’s my best win by ranking,” Griekspoor said with a smile. “Just very pleased with this win. It means a lot.”
Next up, Griekspoor will face fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece for a shot at the title. Tsitsipas overcame Italy’s Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 6-4, marking the Greek star’s first ATP semifinal appearance of the year.
In the other quarterfinals, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Auger-Aliassime will face French qualifier Quentin Halys, who rallied to eliminate Italy’s Luca Nardi 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).
The Dubai Championships are heating up, and Griekspoor’s remarkable resilience has made him a player to watch as the tournament progresses.
