ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Defending champion Alex de Minaur battled past Stefanos Tsitsipas 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday to book a second straight spot in the semifinals of the Mexican Open.

De Minaur, the ATP’s ninth-ranked player, struggled in the first set and lost it in 28 minutes but rallied in the next two to get the win in 2 hours, 6 minutes.

“It was a tough match, it was not very spectacular because the wind made it hard for both of us,” said de Minaur, who broke a 10-match losing streak to No. 12 Tsitsipas. “My first win against Tsitsipas was meant to be in Acapulco, a place of great memories.”

In the semifinals, the third-seeded de Minaur will meet Jack Draper, who ousted Miomir Kecmanovic 6-2, 6-2.

The 25-year-old Australian has won eight matches in a row in Mexico and became the first defending champion in Acapulco to reach the semifinals the following year since David Ferrer in 2013.

Tsitsipas was aiming for his third semifinal in Acapulco.

Holger Rune also advanced to the semifinals for the second year in a row with a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (0) win over Dominik Koepfer.

The second-seeded Rune, who in 2023 lost in the final four to de Minaur, will face the winner of the match between Ben Shelton and Casper Ruud.

The 20-year-old Rune now has a 6-0 record against German players on tour level and reached his 16th ATP semifinal.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis