Kyrgios two wins from defending title

pulse

February 24, 2017 6:55 PM

The 21-year-old Australian fired down 15 aces and lost just six points on serve in a ruthless display that lasted less than an hour.

Australia's Nick Kyrgios returns the ball to Slovakia's Norbert Gombos during their ATP Marseille Open tennis match in Marseille, southern France, on February 24, 2017

In Saturday's semi-final he will face Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who thumped compatriot Gilles Simon 6-4, 6-1.

"I thought I served and returned really well today," said Kyrgios. "All that matters is that I'm going out there and playing every point hard.

"I think I'm pretty aggressive on my returns, particularly here where I'm trying to get in the first big hit."

A year ago, Kyrgios beat Marin Cilic in the final.

Tsonga came through a quarter-final between two twice former winners thanks to converting four of seven break points.

The 31-year-old, on a seven-match winning streak, is bidding to win a second tournament in successive weeks after triumphing in Rotterdam last week.

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