Share

Anderson v Benneteau in semis

Sydney - Towering Kevin Anderson became the first South African to reach the semi-finals of the Sydney International in nine years with victory over Denis Istomin on Thursday.

The 36th-ranked Anderson accounted for the Uzbek 6-4, 6-3 in 84 minutes and will face last year's finalist Julien Benneteau of France in Friday's last four.

The last South African to reach the last four was Wayne Ferreira.

Anderson, who is 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 metres) tall, is bidding to claim his third ATP title after previous victories in Delray Beach and Johannesburg.

"It's always good to start the year off on a good note," he said.

"It's still just the second tournament and my sights are set on the Australian Open, but this is a great opportunity for me. I'm really pleased to be in the semi-finals."

Anderson, 26, is coming off a successful week at the mixed teams Hopman Cup in Perth for South Africa, where he beat Fernando Verdasco and John Isner.

"I've had a really good off-season. Practised hard. I think the Hopman Cup was a fantastic event," he said. "I felt it was a great opportunity for some very good preparation.

"Coming into Sydney, I've had some good matches under my belt from last week and I've been able to keep that going. I've felt better with each match."

Benneteau, who lost to Finland's Jarkko Nieminen in last year's final, was too strong for American qualifier Ryan Harrison, winning 6-4, 6-2.

Australian youngster Bernard Tomic takes on Nieminen and Italian third seed Andreas Seppi faces eighth seed Marcel Granollers of Spain later on Thursday.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1164 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
30% - 1359 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2069 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE