Tallon Greek Spoor failed to perform a stunt against Italian world star Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the ATP tournament in Rotterdam. The 27-year-old tennis player from Nieuw-Vennep had to defeat the most recent winner of the Australian Open in two sets in a packed Ahoy: 6-2 6-4.
The semi-final between Sinner and Greekpoor was a reprise of last year in Rotterdam when the Italian reached the final after a thriller (7-5 7-6). There was no real excitement on Saturday evening in the atmospheric Rotterdam tennis palace. Sinner, the current number 4 in the world, started the match excellently against the best Dutchman of the moment. In the opening game, Sinner immediately broke the serve of Greek Spoor (the global number 29) and did so again in the fifth game. With a 4-1 lead, Sinner survived two break points and then took the first set in 34 minutes: 6-2.
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In the second set, Fransepoor had to be treated for blisters on his foot, but his game did not seem to suffer. The Dutchman had breaking opportunities on Sinner’s serve with a 2-1 and 3-2 lead, but to his frustration he was unable to take advantage of them. The Grand Slam winner then broke the Greekpoor serve at love at a 4-4 score and served out the match: 6-4. And so, just like last year, the semi-final was the final stop for Greek Spoor. However, he can look back on a strong week in Rotterdam with victories over top players such as Lorenzo Musetti from Italy, the Pole Hubert Hurkacz and Emil Ruusuvuori from Finland.
Sinner can win the title in Rotterdam for the first time in his career on Sunday. Last year he lost in the final battle in three sets to Daniil Medvedev, who withdrew this year from tournament director Richard Krajicek. Against fifth-placed De Minaur, Sinner is the big favorite for the overall victory.