Sousa tops Edmund and sets up semi-finals clash with Tsitsipas

João Sousa is into the semi-finals of Millennium Estoril Open after defeating third seed Kyle Edmund 6-3, 1-6, 6-0.

The Portuguese No.1 took advantage of the home support to triumph in one hour and 26 minutes in an atypical match that saw several changes of leadership. After winning the first set Sousa, who in the previous rounds had to overcome Russian Daniil Medvedev and compatriot Pedro Sousa, saw Edmund fight back to win the second set 6-1 to level the match in Estádio Millennium.

The 23-year-old Brit broke Sousa twice after the Portuguese player lowered his serve percentage and closed out the set in impressive fashion. However, Edmund, who has played Doubles with Sousa on several occasions in the past, was unable to keep the momentum going in the decider and, in a stunning turn of events, was unable to win a single game and exited the tournament with a deflated 6-0.

“Today wasn't my day. I’m disappointed but I have to move one. I still have Doubles to play. I need to re-gather my thoughts and see what I did wrong as try to fix those things,” said Edmund after the match.

29-year-old Sousa becomes the second Portuguese player to reach the semi-finals in an ATP event in Portugal (Fred Gil in 2010 was the first).

“It’s very special momento for me. It’s not the first time I make the semifinals in an ATP250 but this is obviously a special occasion because it’s in Portugal. I’m happy with the win and with how I was able to handle the different situations in the match and my level of tennis, especially in the third set,” said Sousa in his post-match press conference.

#ATPNextGen Stefanos Tsitsipas will be Sousa’s opponent in the semifinals. It’s the first official match between the two players.