Stefanos Tsitsipas edges Daniil Medvedev

Cincinnati, August 21

Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas beat world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev 7-6(6) 3-6 6-3 in an absorbing semifinal at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday to set up a summit clash with Borna Coric after the Croatian’s 6-3 6-4 win over Cameron Norrie.

Tsitsipas saved a set point in the opening tie-break to take the lead but collapsed in stunning fashion in the second set, falling behind 0-5 before narrowly avoiding a bagel.

But the Greek, who had just two wins in nine matches against Medvedev coming into the encounter, raised his game in the decider and broke the US Open champion at 3-2 before comfortably serving out the match with some exquisite net play.

“I felt like the ball wasn’t really flying off his racquet,” Tsitsipas, who later withdrew from the doubles semifinals alongside Holger Rune, said.

“I felt like he was trying too hard, and that’s when I knew that I pushed him there, and it was something that I did over many consecutive rallies, a lot of physical effort. I knew that was my opportunity to go and strike.”

It will be Tsitsipas’ first final appearance in Cincinnati and his fifth overall in 2022. “I’m prepared for it,” said the former Roland Garros finalist. “I know it’s not an easy task playing against him. You know, he’s coming back from an injury, he’s playing great tennis, and he’s going to work hard.”

Coric reached his second ATP Masters 1000 final — and first since undergoing shoulder surgery last year — with a commanding performance against Norrie, who offered little resistance against his opponent’s heavy hitting from the baseline.

Kvitova to take on Garcia

Petra Kvitova overcame a sluggish start and 10 double faults to beat Madison Keys 6-7(6) 6-4 6-3 on Saturday and advance to the final, where she will face Caroline Garcia, the first qualifier to reach the final of a WTA 1000 tournament.

In a match twice hit by lengthy rain delays, Garcia was able to keep her focus to see off sixth-seeded Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka 6-2 4-6 6-1. After battling her way through qualifying, the resurgent Frenchwoman has notched wins over three top-10 ranked opponents, Maria Sakkari (4), Sabalenka (7) and Jessica Pegula (8). — Reuters