Tennis-Moutet reaches first grasscourt semi-final after tense win over Tien
(Reuters) -France's Corentin Moutet defeated American Learner Tien 6-2 7-5 in a tense encounter at the Mallorca Open on Thursday, while Dutch fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor cruised past Canadian sixth seed Gabriel Diallo 6-4 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
Moutet charged through the first set against Tien, winning 6-2, but the start of the second set saw a heated exchange between the Frenchman and the chair umpire over a disputed point awarded to the American.
Tien was given the point after Moutet fell into the net before the ball's second bounce, which Moutet contested.
He initially refused to restart the match before returning visibly frustrated, smashing rackets and expressing his anger. Despite the setback, he regained composure to seal his first ever grasscourt semi-final berth.
"I was trying to stay aggressive. He's very good, he's not missing a lot, very solid player," said Moutet, who will next face American third seed Alex Michelsen.
"I lost earlier this year against him, so I knew that I had to be more aggressive today, serve better, and I managed to do it."
Griekspoor, who withdrew from the French Open in the fourth round due to an abdominal injury, controlled the match against the in-form Diallo and secured an early break in the second set before wrapping up victory. He will next meet Canadian second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Auger-Aliassime was outplayed in the opening set against Serbian Hamad Medjedovic but staged a comeback and secured a 3-6 6-1 6-4 win to reach the last four.
Spanish hopes were dashed as home favourite and seventh seed Roberto Bautista Agut fell 6-4 7-6(4) to Michelsen in a tight quarter-final.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)
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