Ukrainian tennis player Vitaliy Sachko is now a semifinalist at the ATP tournament in Metz. In the quarterfinals, he triumphed over Frenchman Clément Tabur.
The day before facing Tabur, Sachko achieved the biggest victory of his career by defeating the world’s 13th seed, Alexander Bublik, in a three-set match. This made him the first player in six and a half years to reach the quarterfinals at the ATP 250 level and above.
In the quarterfinals, Sachko encountered Clément Tabur, the 243rd-ranked player in the world. Tabur had previously defeated Sachko in the qualifying rounds, but Sachko made it into the main draw as a lucky loser.
Sachko managed to take revenge on the Frenchman for his earlier loss in qualification. The players exchanged victories in the first two sets due to early breaks: Sachko won the first set, while Tabur was stronger in the second.
The key moment in the deciding set was Sachko's ability to save break points. In the very first game on his serve, Sachko saved four break points from Tabur, followed by another in the next two games where he served. In the 10th game, Sachko earned match points and clinched the victory on his second attempt.
ATP. Metz, Quarterfinals. Clément Tabur (France, Q) — Vitaliy Sachko (Ukraine, LL) 1:2 (4:6, 6:3, 4:6)
Sachko became the first Ukrainian player in over 8 years to play in the semifinals of an ATP 250 tournament. The last time this happened was with former Ukraine's number one Alexander Dolgopolov, who reached the final in Shenzhen in September 2017 but lost to Belgian David Goffin.
For Sachko, this marks his fourth semifinal in 2025 (he reached the final twice before but lost in Barletta and Monza).
In the semifinals, Sachko will face American Lerner Tien, the 38th-ranked player in the world. The match will take place on Friday, November 7.