ATP Roundup: Top Seeds Stunned in Antwerp, Stockholm, and Almaty on Friday

French player Hugo Gaston (24) eliminated top seed Alex de Minaur (25) from Australia with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, marking the exit of all three top seeds from the European Open quarter-finals held on Friday in Antwerp, Belgium.

Gaston successfully converted three out of four break points and achieved a 36-26 advantage in winners, notably dominating the third set with a 20-8 lead.

Alongside de Minaur, second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece and third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime from Canada also exited the tournament. Czech fifth seed Jiri Lehecka defeated Tsitsipas with a score of 6-4, 6-4, while Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut staged a comeback to win against Auger-Aliassime, finishing 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(6), despite the Canadian serving 19 aces and saving three match points.

Gaston is set to compete against Bautista Agut in the semi-finals, while Lehecka will face American eighth seed Marcos Giron, who triumphed over Belgium's Zizou Bergs with a score of 6-2, 6-2.

In the BNP Paribas Nordic Open, three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland moved closer to securing a long-sought tournament title by defeating No. 1 seed Andrey Rublev of Russia 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in the quarter-finals in Stockholm.

At 39 years old, Wawrinka has not claimed a title on the ATP Tour since May 2017. He is the third-oldest player to reach the semi-finals at an ATP event since 1990. His age did not hinder him from delivering 14 aces against Rublev and saving three out of four break points.

Gaston is set to compete against Bautista Agut in the semi-finals, while Lehecka will face American eighth seed Marcos Giron, who secured a decisive victory over Belgium's Zizou Bergs with a score of 6-2, 6-2.

BNP Paribas Nordic Open
Stan Wawrinka, a three-time major champion from Switzerland, moved closer to capturing a long-sought tournament title by defeating the top seed Andrey Rublev of Russia with a score of 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in the quarter-finals held in Stockholm.

At 39 years old, Wawrinka has not claimed a title on the ATP Tour since May 2017. He is now recognized as the third-oldest semi-finalist in ATP history since 1990. His age did not hinder his performance, as he delivered 14 aces against Rublev and successfully saved three out of four break points.

Wawrinka's next opponent in the semi-finals will be American fourth seed Tommy Paul, who triumphed over Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic with a score of 7-6(9), 6-2.

In another match, Dutch seventh seed Tallon Griekspoor achieved an upset against Norwegian second seed Casper Ruud, winning 7-5, 7-6(5), while third seed Grigor Dimitrov from Bulgaria defeated Switzerland's Dominic Stricker with a score of 6-3, 6-2.

Almaty Open
In Kazakhstan, Aleksandar Vukic of Australia overcame the top seed Frances Tiafoe with a score of 6-2, 7-6(11) in the quarter-finals.

Vukic, who recorded 13 aces among his 35 winners, found himself trailing 4-1 in the second-set tiebreaker before making a remarkable comeback.

Tiafoe managed to save four match points and held an 11-10 advantage, but Vukic ultimately clinched victory by winning the last three points of the match.

Vukic is scheduled to compete against the Russian third seed, Karen Khachanov, who triumphed over Kazakh wildcard Beibit Zhukayev with a score of 6-2, 6-4.

Meanwhile, the fourth seed, Francisco Cerundolo from Argentina, easily defeated Kazakhstan's Alexander Shevchenko in just 64 minutes, winning 6-2, 6-3.

Additionally, Canada's Gabriel Diallo eliminated the second seed, Alejandro Tabilo of Chile, with a final score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

SportsLigue