Auger-Aliassime sets up final showdown with Tsitsipas in Dubai
Amir Naqvi
A seasoned journalist covering major sports events around the world. Amir is Sports Editor with Gulf Today.
- 3 hours ago
Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated giant-killer Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 6-4 to reach the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Friday.
The fourth seed from Greece needed one hour and 23 minutes to secure his place in his first hard-court final since his triumph in Los Cabos in 2023.
Making his long-awaited return to Dubai for the first time since 2020, Tsitsipas took control from the beginning with his powerful serve and aggressive baseline play. The Greek star broke his rival twice in the opening set and moved ahead.
As the match progressed, he stifled Griekspoor’s attempts, tightening his grip and sealing his 30th career tour-level final.
Griekspoor stunned top seed Daniil Medvedev for the biggest win of his career on Thursday,
The world No. 11 has enjoyed relative success at the emirate’s ATP 500 event in the past, having twice reached the final, in 2019 and 2020, only to lose to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
“I feel extremely happy that I was able to avoid the drama today and play good tennis from the beginning until the end,” said Tsitsipas in his on-court interview.
“It felt good. I was doing a great job from the baseline, and I felt that my focus levels were at their highest so far from any match I’ve played this week.”
The Dutchman, who stunned top seed Daniil Medvedev for the biggest win of his career on Thursday, was unable to find any answer to his rival’s relentless barrage. Griekspoor’s journey to the final four has been nothing short of a fairytale. He survived three match points against qualifier Roman Safiullin, and in the second he took down defending champion Ugo Humbert of France.
Earlier, Felix Auger-Aliassime battled past qualifier Quentin Halys 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in another semi-final.
The 24-year-old Canadian and world No. 21 took two hours and 16 minutes to end Halys’s dream run at the tournament.
“I honestly don’t know how I pulled it off today,” admitted Auger-Aliassime. “Every match this week has been a three-set battle, and I think we were both feeling a bit fatigued. It really came down to maintaining positive self-talk – something I think everyone can relate to.
“On those tough days, it’s all about giving yourself that pep talk and staying upbeat. I was able to do that, and I dug deep physically when it mattered most. I’m really glad it paid off today.”
En route to the semis, the French qualifier stunned the third seed and 2022 champion Andrey Rublev in the opening round, defeated 2018 winner Roberto Bautista-Agut in the second round, and Luca Nardi in the quarter-finals.
Having previously overcome Halys in a thrilling tie-break in the first round of Doha last week, Auger-Aliassime knew he would need to summon his reserves of mental and physical strength once more. The Frenchman managed to win the tense opening set. Auger-Aliassime, who had been gradually building his momentum, conjured a spellbinding moment of brilliance in the second set.
The Canadian earned a crucial break, which he seized and leveled the match. In the decider, Auger-Aliassime saved both break points that came his way and later wrapped the match.
Meanwhile, India’s Yuki Bhambri, alongside his Australian partner Alexei Popyrin, secured a place in the doubles’ final, producing yet another thrilling performance on Friday.
The Indo-Australian duo triumphed with a hard-fought 6-2, 4-6, (10-7) victory in the semi-finals, overcoming the formidable British-Australian pairing of Jamie Murray and John Peers in a gripping contest that lasted one hour and 25 minutes.
He and Popyrin are set to face the second-seeded mixed duo of Harri Heliovaara from Finland and Great Britain’s Henry Patten, who defeated Robin Haase and Hendrik Jebens.
Bhambri and Popyrin quickly asserted their dominance. They surged to a 4-1 lead in the opening set, capitalising on a break in the fourth game. The pair then closed out the set with another decisive break in the final game.
However, Murray and Peers responded with grit in the second set, raising their level of play and forcing a dramatic super tiebreaker.
In the final set, Bhambri and Popyrin came out firing once more, building an early 5-1 advantage. Yet, Murray and Peers, never ones to surrender easily, mounted a resilient comeback, levelling the score at 5-5. In a tense and nail-biting conclusion, the Indo-Australian pair held their nerve, edging past their opponents with a 10-7 win in the tiebreaker to secure their spot in the final.
