Bautista Agut Holds Off Lehecka As Thiem Falls In Kitzbühel

Despite a stern test on Thursday, Roberto Bautista Agut’s momentum is building at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel.

The Spaniard was under pressure early from #NextGenATP Czech Jiri Lehecka in the pair’s quarter-final clash at the ATP 250 event in Austria, but the third seed dug deep to prevail 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in an absorbing two-hour, 56-minute encounter and reach the semi-finals for the first time.

Both players enjoyed success in their return games, with Bautista Agut converting six from 13 break points and Lehecka five from nine. Bautista Agut took his chance in the 12th game of the deciding set, however, converting his third match point of the game on the Lehecka serve to complete a hard-earned win.

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Bautista Agut will next face fifth seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Kitzbühel, after the Spaniard earlier defeated countryman Pedro Martinez 6-4, 6-2.

Ramos-Vinolas broke Martinez’s serve four times in a comfortable one-hour, 49-minute win to make it back-to-back ATP Tour semi-finals following his run in Gstaad last week. The 34-year-old is chasing his second title of 2022 in Kitzbühel, where he reached the final in 2019.

Not even rain was able to stop Yannick Hanfmann from securing one of the biggest wins of his career on Thursday.

The German stunned former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. It is the 30-year-old’s fourth ATP Tour semi-final and his second at the Austrian ATP 250.

Rain suspended play at 5-4 in the third set with Thiem ready to serve to stay in the match. When the players returned, Hanfmann took advantage of some loose errors from the 17-time tour-level titlist to triumph after two hours and 28 minutes.

Kitzbühel has proven the most successful tournament of Hanfmann’s career. In 2020 he reached the final at the tournament as a qualifier before losing to Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.