Jannik Sinner advanced to the semi-finals in Rotterdam on Friday after Milos Raonic, plagued by injury, retired at 1-1 in the second set of their quarter-final match.
Australian Open champion Sinner, seeded first, claimed the opening set 7-6 (7/4) before the 33-year-old Canadian, known for his powerful shots, conceded the match after just two more games. Sinner will now face Dutch player Tallon Griekspoor, who defeated Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) to secure a spot in Sunday's final.
"Obviously this is not the way you want to win the match," said Sinner.
"I wish him a speedy recovery. I was actually playing and I was not realising that he was about to retire but he knows his body really well and he knows his limits so, for sure, it's the right choice for him."
Sinner, aged 22, stands to claim the world number three ranking should he secure the title on Sunday, thereby becoming the highest-ranked Italian man in history.
Raonic experienced a frustrating start on Friday, witnessing two set points slip away before retiring, adding to his ongoing struggles with injuries as the former Wimbledon runner-up.
Currently ranked 309th, Raonic's career has been marred by a series of setbacks, including back, ankle and knee issues, leading to two years of absence from competition.
In earlier matches on Friday, Bulgarian sixth-seed Grigor Dimitrov battled his way into the semi-finals, overcoming a resilient effort from Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan with a score of 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-4.
Dimitrov is set to face fifth seed Alex De Minaur in the next round after the Australian surprised second seed Andrey Rublev with a score of 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3.
Expressing dissatisfaction with his performance, world number 13 Dimitrov admitted to struggling against Shevchenko's serve.
"The way he was serving was just incredible. For some reason I was not really able to find my angles. He was not giving me any time to develop my game," Dimitrov said.
"Today was just one of those matches because I was not at my best. Hopefully I can raise my game" for Saturday's semi-final.
In 2023, Dimitrov emerged victorious over De Minaur in the quarterfinals.
Come Saturday, as De Minaur celebrates his 25th birthday, he'll be aiming to turn the tables and seek redemption for that defeat.
"I played him on my birthday last year, and he was rude enough to beat me when I was two match points up," said De Minaur. "I'm playing him tomorrow, which will be my birthday again, so I'm hoping he's a little bit nicer to me. We'll see."
(With AFP inputs)
