Stefanos Tsitsipas extended his perfect set record on Friday at the 2023 Australian Open to 9-0 by moving past Tallon Griekspoor into the fourth round.
In a 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-3 victory, the Greek saved a set point late in set two before powering through the finish in Rod Laver Arena.
The win sets up a Sunday showdown with Jannik Sinner, a rematch of last year’s Melbourne quarter-final that was dominated by the Greek.
Another straight sets success for Stef 🔥
He's off to the fourth round. See you there @steftsitsipas 👋@wwos • @espn •@eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/SrcF0wUbJJ
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2023
“I enjoyed fighting my way through today,” Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview. “It wasn’t easy at times. I had the crowd with me, as always. It’s always a great sensation when I’m out here.”
Against Griekspoor, Tsitsipas saved the only break point he faced, which doubled as a set point for the Dutchman at 5-6 in the second. On return, the World No. 4’s depth troubled his opponent throughout the two-hour, eight-minute match. He finished with four breaks on seven chances.
“I was good mixing it up today, mixing up my slice, opening the court,” Tsitsipas added. “I think my placement on serve was exceptional today. I didn’t have a lot of rallies on my serve, which helped a lot today to keep things clean.”
"Fair crack of the whip, mate" 😂
Stefanos Tsitsipas trying out some Aussie slang 🇦🇺🗣️
🖥️ #AusOpen LIVE | https://t.co/80XjQpwd6J#9WWOS #Tennis pic.twitter.com/3T9lxPX2J9
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) January 20, 2023
Stefanos Tsitsipas could become World No. 1 if he wins Australian Open
Already up one place to No. 3 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week, Tsitsipas will leave Melbourne as World No. 1 if he wins his first Grand Slam title.
Tsitsipas will take a 4-1 ATP Head2Head advantage against Sinner into their fourth-round meeting, including a streak of seven consecutive sets won. Their most recent meeting came last year in Rome after the Greek’s 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win in Melbourne.
In the previous round, Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is a three-time semi-finalist in Melbourne, moved past Australian wild card Rinky Hijikata 6-3, 6-0, 6-2 to continue his title quest.
He has been ranked as high as world No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he first achieved on August 9, 2021, making him the highest-ranked Greek player in history alongside Maria Sakkari.
Tsitsipas was the champion at the 2019 ATP Finals, becoming the youngest winner of the year-end championships in eighteen years.
He has won nine ATP singles titles (including two Masters 1000 championships) and appeared in a major final at the 2021 French Open, finishing runner-up to Novak Djokovic. He is also a three-time semifinalist at the Australian Open.
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