Stefanos Tsitsipas pulled off one of the biggest wins of his short but remarkable career by beating Rafael Nadal 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 on Spanish soil on Saturday to book his place in the Madrid Open final against World No.1 Novak Djokovic.
Kiki Bertens won the biggest title of her career, beating Simona Halep 6-4, 6-4 in the final while also becoming the first woman ever to win the championship without dropping a set.
Tsitsipas, 20, had never won a set in his previous three meetings against claycourt specialist and 11-times French Open champion Nadal, but the Greek drew first blood by saving a break-point to hold in the 10th game and take the first set.
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Nadal, who had breezed past the youngster in the Barcelona Open final last season and this year’s Australian Open semifinals, won the second set and looked to have the physical edge over his opponent, who has also been playing doubles in Madrid.
But Tsitsipas, the Next Gen ATP finals champion, came back stronger in the decider with impressive court coverage and broke Nadal to take a 5-2 lead although he could not immediately serve out for the match.
He earned repeated match points in the next game when Nadal was serving and after the Spaniard had dug deep to save three of them he could only find the net on the fourth.
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“It means the world, it's really nice to be able to play this way, it's an unbelievable feeling,” Tsitsipas told reporters.
“I had to show mental discipline and being tough and decisive in those crucial moments was key, I had to take all opportunities because Rafa is a fighter, he doesn't give you many points.”
Earlier, Djokovic reached the final after seeing off last year’s runner-up Thiem 7-6(2), 7-6(4) in a gruelling, high-quality match lasting two hours 22 minutes.
The Serbian, winner in Madrid in 2011 and 2016, was fully rested after his quarterfinal opponent Marin Cilic had withdrawn because of food poisoning, while Thiem had to dig deep to beat Roger Federer in a gruelling three-setter.
The results:
Women: Final: Kiki Bertens bt Simona Halep 6-4, 6-4.
Men: Semifinals: Novak Djokovic bt Dominic Thiem 7-6(2), 7-6(4); Stefanos Tsitsipas bt Rafael Nadal 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 .