NEW DELHI: Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci continued his impressive run at the Rotterdam Open, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-2 on Friday to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
The world number 12 Tsitsipas struggled against Bellucci's diverse playing style, which featured a strong left-handed serve, flat backhands, and powerful top-spin forehands combined with strategic drop shots.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!"At the beginning of the week, I would have never expected this result," said Bellucci, 23, who had never before reached the semi-final of an ATP 500 event.
"I was really enjoying myself on court. Today I think I played even better, technically speaking, against a great opponent but I was in a mindset to fight for every point," said the Italian.
Bellucci, ranked 92nd globally, had previously showcased his abilities by eliminating second seed Daniil Medvedev in the earlier round.
The Italian demonstrated strong defensive skills in the first set, catching Tsitsipas off guard with well-executed drop shots.
After breaking Tsitsipas at 4-4, Bellucci successfully served out the set, saving a break point before securing it when his opponent hit a backhand long.
The sixth-seeded Greek's difficulties persisted in the second set, with Bellucci breaking serve and establishing a 3-1 lead through skillful drop shots.
Tsitsipas contributed to his own defeat by double-faulting on break point, giving up a second break of serve.
He managed to save a match point at 5-1, similar to his previous match against Tallon Griekspoor, but couldn't complete another comeback.
Bellucci closed out the match confidently, serving to love and earning appreciation from the crowd.
His semi-final opponent will be Australia's Alex de Minaur, last year's finalist, who defeated German lucky loser Daniel Altmaier 6-1, 6-4.
The tournament's other matches feature world number three Carlos Alcaraz facing fellow Spaniard Pedro Martinez, while Russia's Andrey Rublev competes against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz.
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