Andreas Seppi Made To The Semifinals of Australia Open by Knocking Stefanos Tsitsipas

Andreas Seppi, a 34 year old veteran player made a surprising comeback in the quarter finals to register a win over Greek Next Gen star Stefanos Tsitsipas, 20-year-old making a set down by the score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 so as to make it to the semifinals at the Sydney International in his 12th lifetime appearance. 

The Italian veteran had previously also made it to the semifinals held in Sydney in 2006 and 2013. Now in the semifinals he will be facing Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman, who knocked out Japanese qualifying tennis star Yoshihito Nishioka by the score of 6-1 3-6 7-6 (7-1). Andreas Seppi and Diego Schwartzman will for the first time have a match against each other in their careers. Tsitsipas in the quarter finals got his first break in the 10th game of the match to turn out the first set in his favor by 6-4. Seppi however knocked an early break in the very first game and thereafter he held the service game. Then Seppi, brought up the two consecutive set points at 5-3, but he failed after to convert them in his favor. Meanwhile in the 10th game the Greek player earned three break points at a phase of 0-40, but soon Seppi won consecutively five points to render his service game in his favor for 6-4. In the 8th game of the very third set, Seppi saved two break points, which would otherwise be given to Tsitsipas and he would have got the chance to serve for the match point at 5-3. Seppi beautifully hit a passing shot winner by crosscourt forehand to break serve and get a mark of 5-4 and qualify for the final. Seppi has advanced a record in four of his six appearances to the second week in Melbourne at the Australian Open. Also Seppi beat Roger Federer in 2015 for the first time ever in a 13 head-to-head matches at Australian Open. Last year to reach the Australian Open he beat Ivo Karlovic by 9-7 for the fourth time in his career in the fifth set fourth round before losing to semifinalist Kyle Edmund.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/top-stories/veteran-andreas-seppi-downs-top-seed-stefanos-tsitsipas-to-make-sydney-semifinals/articleshow/67467518.cms