Feb 16, 2024 at 9:26 PM Update: 6 days ago
Tallon Greek Spoor qualified for the semi-finals of the ABN AMRO Open on Friday for the second year in a row. In a packed Rotterdam Ahoy, he was too strong for Emil Ruusuvuori in two sets: 7-5 and 7-6 (4).
From the first service game, Greek Spoor took the initiative in Rotterdam. The 27-year-old Dutchman had the necessary break opportunities in Ruusuvuori’s service games, but only used them when the score was 5-5. With the score at 40-30, the Finn hit the ball into the net, after which Greek Spoor took the set on his own serve.
As in his previous games in Ahoy, Greek track (ATP-29) was mainly sovereign on his own service. Partly thanks to eight aces in the first set, he won 86 percent of the points on his own serve. Greekpoor also served strongly in the second set, but was only able to shake Ruusuvuori in the tiebreak.
After an hour and 44 minutes, Greekpoor finished it off with a hard forehand on his first match point: 7-4. Greek track was once again the strongest in a tiebreak. Since the Australian Open, the Dutchman has played twelve sets, all in his own country. Ten of these resulted in a tiebreak, nine of which he won.
In the semi-finals, Greek Spoor will face Italian top favorite Jannik Sinner. The number four in the world won after losing to Canadian Milos Raonic (ATP-309). At that moment it was 7-6 (4) and 1-1. The 33-year-old service gun already had injury treatment in the first set, but still received two set points. He was then forced to give up in the second set.
For Greek Spoor it is a reunion with Sinner in Ahoy. In 2023 he lost in the semi-finals to the 22-year-old tennis star. Then Sinner was too strong for the Dutchman in two sets: 5-7 and 6-7 (5).
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Greek track to ABN Amro Open semi-finals
Beeld: Getty Images
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TennisABN AMRO OpenATPTallon Greek Spoor