MADRID - Jan-Lennard Struff stunned world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Madrid Open on Thursday to become only the third lucky loser to reach the semi-finals of an ATP Masters event.

The 33-year-old German, who had lost in the qualifying round before being allotted a place in the main draw, triumphed 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 6-3.

He will now face Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev in Friday’s semi-finals.

The other semi-final sees defending champion and world number two Carlos Alcaraz, who will celebrate his 20th birthday on Friday, facing Borna Coric of Croatia.

Struff, ranked at 65 in the world, follows Thomas Johansson at Toronto in 2004 and Lucas Pouille at Rome in 2016 as a lucky loser to reach a Masters semi-final. AFP