Griekspoor saves 4 match points to beat Medvedev and reach Dubai semifinals

Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands saved four match points before beating top-seeded Daniil Medvedev of Russia 2-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5 to reach the semifinals at the Dubai Championships on Thursday.

"When I won the second set, I was actually thinking 'how am I even still in this tournament?' I probably should have been on the plane to Indian Wells already," world No. 47 Griekspoor said "Sometimes you've got to be a little bit lucky."

The Dutchman survived a first-round encounter with another Russian Roman Safiullin by saving three match points. He then eliminated French defending champion Ugo Humbert on Wednesday.

"It's my best win by ranking," Griekspoor added. "Just very pleased with this win. It means a lot."

Griekspoor will meet fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece for a shot at the title. Tsitsipas beat Matteo Berrettini of Italy 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-4. It will be the Greek's first Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) semifinal match of the year.

Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada defeated 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 to set up a semifinal against French qualifier Quentin Halys, who eliminated Luca Nardi of Italy 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5).