Tsitsipas and Basilashvili set up Almaty semifinal with straight-set wins

Stefanos Tsitsipas and qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili will meet in the semifinals of the Almaty ATP 250 after both won in straight sets on Friday. Tsitsipas, the No. 7 seed, beat James Duckworth of Australia 6-3, 6-4. Basilashvili of Georgia beat Adrian Mannarino of France 6-3, 6-1.

Tsitsipas closes the door on Duckworth

Duckworth, ranked No. 73, had knocked out No. 2 seed Luciano Darderi in the previous round, but he never found a way through. Tsitsipas led 4-1 and had two set points at 5-2 before serving out the set. In the second, Duckworth saved two break points to hold in the first game and two more in a long game for 2-1, but Tsitsipas broke at 3-3 and converted his first match point.

The Greek, ranked No. 39 and chasing a seeding for the Australian Open, said his clarity of mind was showing on court.

“It feels good to be back playing that type of tennis. It feels good to have things clear in my mind and not have any doubts,” Tsitsipas said. “Tennis is not necessarily a complicated sport; I feel like a lot of us make it complicated. I have a lot of peace in my life. And peace also brings balance into my daily life, which allows me to also be completely focused and wired in my job.”

Basilashvili rolls on

Basilashvili, a qualifier ranked No. 128, beat Mannarino for the first time since 2017. Mannarino looked short of energy after three-set wins over Aleksandar Vukic and No. 4 seed Andrey Rublev. Basilashvili broke at 3-2, saved two break points before taking the first set on his second set point, and led 3-1 early in the second.

The Georgian, the first player from his country to win a match at the event, rises to No. 109 in the live rankings, close to a return to the top 100 and a place in the Australian Open main draw. He reached the semifinals in Chengdu and then qualified in Shanghai, where he retired against Mannarino while trailing 6-3, 2-2.

“I managed my tension in my body very well; I did not get tight or nervous, so I served well,” Basilashvili said. “I do believe in myself in general because I played very well in my career, but now I have that confidence back again because of many matches I won already.”

Tsitsipas leads their head-to-head 3-1.