Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime became the youngest player in 20 years to reach the semi-finals of the Queen's Club championships as he dispatched top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas with consummate ease on Friday. The 18-year-old was cool, calm and collected throughout the contest on a sunlit center court as he claimed a 7-5, 6-2 victory to emulate Lleyton Hewitt, who made the semis in 1999 at the same age. Considering it was his third match in 24 hours after rain delays earlier in the week, Auger-Aliassime looked as fresh as a daisy against world number six Tsitsipas, who was lacking his usual spark after a similarly busy schedule on Thursday. There will be no all-Canadian semi-final, however, after Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez, the 2017 champion, outlasted Milos Raonic 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(7-5). Lopez was due on court later to partner home favorite and five-time champion Andy Murray in a doubles clash. Auger-Aliassime saved a couple of break points in a tight first set but pounced in the 12th game to reach 15-40 on the Tsitsipas serve and took his second set point with a heavy forehand that the Greek could not handle. The Canadian, who has bounded up the rankings to 21 this year, broke in the second game of the second set and dominated thereafter as a weary-looking Tsitsipas, who required some treatment on his shoulder, faded fast. "I had zero expectations coming here, but I've managed to handle my nerves and keep my serve all the time," he said. "I felt good from the start. It was key that I saved a few early break points and then I raised my level when I had to. "I started the second set in an amazing way, aggressive and moving him around. Very happy the way I played." The eighth seed could face compatriot Milos Raonic in the semifinals if he overcomes Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez. In the other side of the draw fourth seed Daniil Medvedev became the first Russian to reach the semi-finals at the tournament in the professional era as he had too much firepower for Argentina's Diego Schwartzman. Medvedev, 23, used his skidding ground strokes to great effect in a 6-2, 6-2 win. Standing between him and the final is Frenchmen Gilles Simon, who beat compatriot Nicolas Mahut 7-6(7-5), 5-7, 7-6(7-3) in a match lasting three hours 20 minutes. "The scoreline doesn't tell the story of the match," Medvedev, who is at a career-high 13 in the rankings after an impressive year, said. "It's great to be the first Russian to be in the semi-finals and a bit surprising, maybe it's the first time I made history! Now I want to put the bar a bit higher." — Reuters
