Botic van de Zandschulp and Tallon Griekspoor made Dutch tennis history on Thursday at the Tata Open Maharashtra as both men progressed to the semi-finals in Pune. They became the first Dutch duo to reach the semi-finals of the same ATP Tour event since Dennis Van Scheppingen and Martin Verkerk at Amersfoort in 2004.

“It’s been a long time,” van de Zandschulp said of the achievement. “I cannot remember how long it’s been, but it’s pretty nice for the country.”

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Van de Zandschulp has yet to drop a set in his Pune debut, having beaten Flavio Cobolli 7-5, 6-4 in his first match. After facing six break points in that contest, the World No. 35 did not face any against Marterer as he won 85 per cent of his first-serve points.

“I served well. It’s always helping when you serve well and you get a lot of free points,” he assessed, later adding that he enjoyed the slower, flatter evening conditions compared to his daytime Wednesday match. “[I was] really consistent, more consistent that the last match, so I’m happy with that.”

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The 27-year-old will seek his second tour-level final (Munich 2022) when he takes on Benjamin Bonzi — a 7-6(5), 6-4 winner against sixth seed Filip Krajinovic — in Friday’s semi-finals. Van de Zandschulp reached three semis last season but is still in search of his first ATP Tour crown.

Eighth seed Aslan Karatsev also advanced on Thursday with a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Spain’s Pedro Martinez. Karatsev has won all six sets he’s played this week and will seek to continue that streak against Griekspoor in the semis.