Tsitsipas moves past qualifier Lehecka to secure final-round spot in Rotterdam 

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas rallied past a qualifier at the Rotterdam hard-court indoor tournament on Saturday to reach his first final since Roland Garros last year.

Tsitsipas ended Czech qualifier Jiri Lehecka's run by posting a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 score. Tsitsipas was made to work for nearly two hours by the No. 137, who claimed five consecutive matches and dismissed Denis Shapovalov along the way. The Greek was all around surprised with Lehecka's aggressive game and accuracy during their semifinal affair.

"He was really pushing me," Tsitsipas said. "I did not know what to expect, so I was trying to figure out his patterns and his game. He was playing incredibly well after the first serve, pressing and attacking like I had never seen before. I had to stay in the match and I managed to survive."

Tsitsipas will face the winner between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Andrey Rublev in Sunday's final. At just 20-years-old, Lehecka was the lowest-ranked Rotterdam semifinalist since Omar Camporese in 1995, who was ranked 225th.