ATP Tour

Basilashvili avoids late drama, overcomes Brooksby to seal Chengdu SF spot

Nikoloz Basilashvili was briefly tested in the closing stages of his quarter-final match Sunday at the Chengdu Open, but the Georgian qualifier held his nerve to advance to the last four at the ATP 250 event.

Basilashvili ousted Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 7-6(4) after one hour and 33 minutes, during which he let slip a match point and dropped serve while serving for the match at 5-4 in the second set. However, the Georgian steadied himself in the tie-break, eventually sealing victory with his ninth ace of the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

With the victory, Basilashvili advanced to his first ATP Tour semi-final since Doha in 2022, when he reached the final.

"It was a tough moment when I dropped serve at 5-4," Basilashvili shared. "I got slightly tight. My energy level dropped a bit and that was not a great moment. But my serve helped me a lot... I was somehow able to put more energy into points and very happy I could finally execute and win the match."

Basilashvili is now the fourth qualifier to reach the last four in Chengdu, after Bernard Tomic (2018), Alibek Kachmazov (2024), and Alejandro Tabilo (2025). The 34-year-old will meet second seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or French qualifier Alexandre Muller for a place in the final.