World No. 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas insisted he expected a tough clash against rising Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime.
After a first round bye at the Shanghai Masters, sixth-seeded Tsitsipas made a positive start to his campaign at the tournament as he overcame world No. 19 Auger-Aliassime in two tight sets 7-6 (3) 7-6 (3).
Tsitsipas blew an early first set break and failed to convert any of his two set points in the 12th game but kept his focus as he cruised past the tie-break to win the opener.
Auger-Aliassime saved three break points in the 11th game of the second set to eventually force a tie-break, in which Tsitsipas won five points in a row to recover from a 3-2 deficit and seal a straight-set win.
"I knew it's going to be tough, and it was very tough," Tsitsipas said post-match, per the ATP website. "I think, mostly, the concentration that I have put and the work that I have put into that match, I still felt like I had to put a lot in order to get that outcome at the end."
Tsitsipas, a three-time ATP champion, has played in five finals this year but he has yet to win a Grand Slam or a Masters title.
"I know that in order to see my name among the [big] titles, I'm going to have to go through a lot of pain and a lot of hype and struggle," Tsitsipas underlined. "I'm honestly excited. I'm excited. I'm excited by the idea of trying to get there."
Tsitsipas will fight against rising Polish star Hubert Hurkacz for a place in the Shanghai quarterfinal.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2IClIXT
No comments:
Post a Comment