Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev stunned at Indian Wells as semi-final draw opens up for Cameron Norrie
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Updated 16/10/2021 at 00:57 GMT
Nikoloz Basilashvili battled past Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4 2-6 6-4 to progress to a first Masters 1000 semi-final of his career. The Georgian world number 36 will face Taylor Fritz for a place in the final after he fought back from a set down to beat Alexander Zverev. The two shock results leaves Cameron Norrie as the highest ranked player left in the tournament.
Tsitsipas, Zverev stunned at Indian Wells as semi-final draw opens up for Norrie
Image credit: Getty Images
Nikoloz Basilashvili capitalised on an inconsistent performance from Stefanos Tsitsipas to beat the world number three 6-4 2-6 6-4 to progress to the semi-final stage of Indian Wells.
Some powerful, front-foot tennis from the Georgian coupled with lapses in concentration from the world number three saw Basilashvili through in two hours and 11 minutes, and he will face Taylor Fritz in the semi-final after he beat Alexander Zverev 4-6 6-3 7-6.
Zverev, chasing a fifth title this year after successes at Madrid, Cincinnati, Acapulco and the Olympics, failed to convert two match points in the third as Fritz joined Basilashvili in progressing to a first Masters 1000 semi-final of his career.
The pair will meet in the last four on Saturday, with the winner set to face either Cameron Norrie or Grigor Dimitrov. Ranked 26th in the world, Norrie is now the highest ranked player left in the draw for a tournament informally referred to as the fifth Grand Slam.
The German Olympic champion was red-hot favourite for the tournament following the exit of Tsitsipas, but, having passed on those two match points, was completely dominated in the third-set tiebreak.
Tsitsipas, for his part, was never in control of his match against Basilashvili. He had won both of his previous meetings with the Georgian - at the Australian Open and the China Open, both in 2019 - but Basilashvili opened with a break to love, consolidated and then added a second break to take control of the first set.
The 23-year-old Greek star began to apply pressure to his opponent as the set wore on and executed his only break opportunity of the stanza in its sixth game. However, the Georgian world number 36's big hitting continued to drive his opponent back and he would serve it out.
Tsitsipas was playing his 59th match of the season and showed little sign of fatigue early in the second, breaking the serve of his opponent in the fourth game of the set. The forehand of Basilashvili - such a potent weapon in the first - deserted him as he plundered an alarming number of unforced errors, and Tsitsipas secured a second break in the eighth game of the second set to send it to a decider.
A dip in concentration at the start of the third saw the Greek offer up three break points in the first game. He defended the first but put a rudimentary cross-court forehand wide on the second to allow the Georgian to take the initiative.
However, Tsitsipas' returning had improved immeasurably from the first set and he fashioned two opportunities for an immediate break back. Basilashvili fended those off and then consolidated courtesy of a thunderous cross-court forehand, but the momentum appeared to be with Tsitsipas.
The Greek star, having held to love, would break at the next opportunity to put the set back on serve. Yet, inconsistency from Tsitsipas would cost him again as he gave up another break - this time courtesy of a double fault in the seventh - and Basilashvili would see the set out to secure a third top five win of his career.
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