Tsitsipas rallies past qualifier to reach Rotterdam final

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas rallied past a qualifier at the Rotterdam hard-court indoor tournament on Saturday to reach his first final since the French Open last June.

Tsitsipas ended Czech qualifier Jiri Lehecka’s run by 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Tsitsipas was made to work for nearly two hours by the 137th-ranked Lehecka, who previously upset Denis Shapovalov.

Tsitsipas said he did not expect such an aggressive display from Lehecka.

“He was really pushing me,” Tsitsipas said. “I did not know what to expect, so I was trying to figure out his patterns and his game. He was playing incredibly well after the first serve, pressing and attacking like I had never seen before. I had to stay in the match and I managed to survive."

Tsitsipas will face Felix Auger-Aliassime or Andrey Rublev in Sunday's final.

Aged 20, Lehecka was the lowest-ranked Rotterdam semifinalist since 1995 and Omar Camporese, who was ranked 225th.

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