Titouan Droguet delivered the performance of his career on Friday evening at the Open Occitanie, upsetting the fourth seed Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (5), 7-6 (1) to reach his maiden ATP Tour semifinal. The 24-year-old Frenchman, currently ranked world No. 150, produced a serving clinic on the Montpellier indoor hard courts, hammering 21 aces to dismantle the world No. 29 in one hour and 48 minutes of high-octane tennis.
The victory marks a significant milestone for the former world No. 130, who entered the contest with a 5-4 career record at the tour level. Droguet’s previous best result was a quarterfinal appearance in Umag last year, and he had only one Top 50 win to his name – his famous five-set upset of Lorenzo Musetti at the 2023 US Open.
By taking down the Dutchman, Droguet is now projected to climb to a new career-high ranking of approximately No. 120 on Monday, potentially rising further if his dream run continues.
Auger-Aliassime next
The match was defined by Droguet’s refusal to yield on serve. Despite Griekspoor’s pedigree as a three-time ATP titlist, the Dutchman was unable to find a rhythm against the Frenchman’s barrage of 21 aces.
Droguet showed immense mental fortitude in the tiebreaks, particularly in the second set where he raced to a 7-1 finish to seal the win. His path to the semifinals has been a gauntlet of resilience; he previously edged out eighth seed and 2025 riunner-up Aleksandar Kovacevic 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 and defeated Jan Choinski 6-2, 7-6 (2) earlier in the week.
Griekspoor, who had reached the quarterfinals after a solid 6-4, 6-4 win over Pablo Carreno Busta, found no answers to the local favorite’s aggression. Droguet now sets his sights on a Saturday showdown with top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Frenchman will look to capitalize on his home-court advantage as he pursues his first ATP final.
