Berdych saves 2 match points, books spot in Montpellier semis

MONTPELLIER, France (AP) Former champion Tomas Berdych reached the Open Sud de France semifinals the hard way, saving two match points in a 7-6 (3), 6-7 (5), 7-5 win against Filip Krajinovic on Friday.

The two players were meeting for the first time on the ATP Tour, and made it a match to remember.

It looked as if Berdych was going through in straight sets when he went a break up in the second set. But Krajinovic, a Paris Masters finalist in 2017 after a surprising run from the qualifying rounds, broke back, took the tiebreaker and then led 5-4 and 40-15 in the third.

Berdych, who is unseeded at the tournament he won in 2012, then turned the contest around.

The 33-year-old Czech next faces seventh-seeded Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France, who beat third-seeded Denis Shapovalov of Canada 7-5, 7-6 (4).

Berdych beat Herbert in their only previous meeting, earlier this year in the quarterfinals of the Doha Open.

Later Friday, sixth-seeded Jeremy Chardy faces Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in an all-French quarterfinal, while Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus plays Radu Albot of Macedonia.

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