By Tennis Now | Friday, April 29, 2022
Frances Tiafoe ran through five straight games battling by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-5 into his second Estoril semifinal.
Photo credit: Millennium Estoril Open Facebook
Frances Tiafoe hit the wall in Estoril.
So he hurdled it.
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Staring down a dire 2-5 deficit to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the decisive set, a tenacious Tiafoe elevated soaring through five straight games for a thrilling 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-5 victory.
Tiafoe turned around his first meeting with the Monte-Carlo finalist firing through 12 of the final 15 points prevailing in a pulsating three-hour marathon match.
The fifth-seeded Tiafoe saved 13 of 17 break points battling into his second Millennium Estoril Open semifinal.
Tiafoe will take on Sebastian Korda for a spot in Sunday's final. Korda also had a brilliant day on the red clay, as he powered past top-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, 6-2, 6-2.
Earlier, defending champion Albert Ramos-Vinolas swept lucky loser Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 6-2 in an all-Spanish quarterfinal of left-handers.
The sixth-seeded Ramos-Vinolas smacked four aces and saved the only break point he faced in a tidy 80-minute win.
It was the second straight year Ramos-Vinolas topped Verdasco in Estoril as he took a 6-5 lead in their head-to-head series. Ramos-Vinolas raised his 2022 clay-court record to 13-6, including his title run in Cordoba.
The 31st-ranked Spaniard will play his third clay-court semifinal of the season tomorrow vs. Sebastian Baez.
World No. 59 Baez beat French veteran Richard Gasquet 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach his second clay-court semifinal of the season.