Greek tennis champions Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari have both booked a place in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday.
Tsitsipas overcame the resistance of Benoît Paire winning the match 3-1 (6-3, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4).
The Greek player who came into the event with some concerns about his elbow after surgery has proven that he is fit and raring to go. He scored 21 aces among his 47 winners which shows that his serve is working well too.
Hey Siri, tell @steftsitsipas he's into the fourth round at #AO2022 😅
The world No.4 defeats Benoit Paire 6-3 7-5 6-7(2) 6-4 to secure a spot in the second week of the #AusOpen. pic.twitter.com/gFpwWbaYh6
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2022
“I’m pretty glad with that win, Benoit is someone I say is one of the biggest stars in our game,” said Tsitsipas, a former semi-finalist at Melbourne Park.
Having held Paire at bay at Rod Laver Arena, the Greek crumbled in the third set tiebreak to let the Frenchman back into the match.
Paire kept in touch to 4-4 in the fourth set before conceding the match points with a double-fault.
Tsitsipas will meet American Taylor Fritz for a place in the quarter-finals.
Sakkari overcomes Kudermetova in the Australian Open
Maria Sakkari progressed to the fourth round for the third time in her past four attempts following a 6-4 6-1 win over Veronika Kudermetova.
Chants and Greek flags again accompanied Sakkari’s victory – which wasn’t as straightforward as the scoreline indicated – on a sweltering day where temperatures hit 30 degrees Celsius.
At the French Open and US Open, Sakkari went all the way to the semifinals.
And with the backing of her adoring public in Melbourne, the fifth seed isn’t ruling out going even deeper.
“All the way,” Sakkari replied on court when asked how far the fans could take her.
“I feel like I have extra strength when I have them with me because they support me no matter what. I think their opponents don’t like it, but I do like it. I’m really enjoying and I really want to thank them.”
Sakkari will play Paula Badosa on Sunday for a place in the fifth round of the Australian Open.
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