Ukrainian tennis player Vitaliy Sachko has reached the semifinals of the ATP tournament in Metz. In the quarterfinals, he triumphed over Frenchman Clement Tabur.
Before facing Tabur, Sachko achieved a remarkable victory against the world’s 13th-ranked player Alexander Bublik in a three-set match, making him the first player in over six and a half years to reach the quarterfinals at ATP 250 events and higher.
In the quarterfinal match, Sachko faced off against Tabur, the 243rd ranked player in the world. Previously, Tabur had defeated Sachko in the qualifiers, but Sachko made it to the main draw as a "lucky loser".
Sachko managed to take revenge against the Frenchman for his earlier loss in the qualifiers. The players exchanged wins in the first two sets with early breaks: Sachko won the first set, while Tabur took the second.
A key moment in the deciding set was Sachko's ability to save break points. In the very first game on his serve, he saved four break points from Tabur and saved another one in the next two games. In the 10th game, Sachko earned match points and clinched the victory on his second attempt.
ATP. Metz, Quarterfinals. Clement 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 reach the semifinals of an ATP 250 tournament. The last time this happened was with former world No. 1 Oleksandr Dolhopolov in September 2017.
For Sachko, this marks his fourth semifinal in 2025, having reached the finals twice at the Challenger level but lost in both Barletta and Monza.
In the semifinals, Sachko will face American Lerner Tien, the 38th-ranked player in the world. The match is scheduled for Friday, November 7.