Tennis: Basilashvili upsets second seed Tsitsipas at Indian Wells

INDIAN WELLS, United States (AFP) – World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas was ousted in the quarter-finals at the ATP Indian Wells Masters on Friday (Oct 15), falling 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to the 29th seeded Nikoloz Basilashvili, who recorded one of his biggest career wins.

Georgia’s Basilashvili beat Tsitsipas for the first time in three career meetings and recorded his first win over a world number three player.

He defeated Roger Federer en route to the Doha title in March, when the Swiss great was playing just his second match since a 13-month injury absence.

Leading up to Indian Wells, Basilashvili said he had been working on polishing his serve.

“I am not surprised. I have been playing good tennis for a long time especially in practices,” he said. “I just didn’t have the kind of first serve. It was missing. I had big minus in my serve.

“I improved my serve a lot lately. That’s why I’m in the semis now.” In the final four, Basilashvili will play either Taylor Fritz or third seeded Alexander Zverev.

Basilashvili had never won a round in Indian Wells until this year’s tournament.

Tsitsipas, of Greece, blasted 10 aces but made two double faults and was undone by unforced errors in the two hour, 10 minute match on the main stadium.

Basilashvili jumped out to early leads by breaking Tsitsipas in the opening games of the first and third sets. He won four of the final five games in the third and clinched the match when Tsitsipas blasted a backhand wide.

“I was under stress. My energy level was going up and down but I am happy with the way it ended and I kept my energy level up,” said Basilashvili, the son of a Georgian national ballet dancer.

“At the end I was really tired but I was physically able to stay on the court.” Besides saving a match point to beat Federer on the way to the title in Doha, Basilashvili also won his fifth career title in Munich in May.

After Friday’s win, Basilashvili, said beating his hero Federer had been a springboard.

“My win against Roger meant a lot to me because he was my idol,” Basilashvili said. “Roger’s win was very important in my career. Beating Stefanos today was as well, a really, really important match.”