08.06.2017 14:00:51 | American Tennys Sandgren (113th ATP) won in tree sets and became the first semi-finalist of the UniCredit Czech Open. He lost the first set, but then the match turned in his favour. Nicolas Kicker won the first set, but Sandgren started to play more courageous tennis which finally decided. What was his journey to the last four? He beat No. 3 seed Basilashvili in the first round, qualifier Krawietz of Germany in the second, and knock off German Kicker on his way to quarter-finals.
The match was up and down at the beginning, then it settled down a little and, finally, you managed to win it in the third set. “The first set was a bit too slow. Maybe I was trying to be too aggressive. I misjudged how the tennis was going to start, made too many errors at the beginning, and the opponent was playing well. I got down by two breaks, then I got one back. It was tough to get back into the match fully. However, it was pretty even from 3:0 and I thought I could compete and maybe I’ll get a chance. The second set was more even, I broke the opponent’s serve to 4:2 which really got me going. I realized there was a chance and managed to level up. In the third set, I was serving well, but Nicolas did too. The finish was a bit more dramatic, but I managed to bring it to a victorious end.”
You will either meet Veselý or Igantik in the semis. Who of the two would you prefer? “Both of them have been playing very well, both are wonderful players. Veselý is a Czech, his pictures are all over the hotel, one right next to the room where I am staying, which is cool. Well, it’s been a great accomplishment for me to get among the last four so far. I expect even a larger crowd tomorrow and, at least, I want to have some fun. I’ll try to play my best tennis, serve well, try to figure it out. Then, anything may happen.“
How do you like it in Prostejov? “The tournament is pretty fantastic. Courts are right next to the hotel, the food’s been great, everybody’s really friendly and nice, from the linesmen to the ball boys, stringers, volunteers... Everybody’s trying really hard and they do a great job. They all seem they have a high tennis IQ and know what’s going on. It’s great for us the tennis players to play in such a wonderful atmosphere.“
