Stefanos Tsitsipas resisted a comeback from Jannik Sinner, who was two sets down, to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with a 6-4 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 victory over the 21-year-old Italian.
Having marched through his opening three matches in Melbourne without dropping a set, the Greek was presented with the biggest test of his campaign by 21-year-old Sinner.
WHAT A SHOT 😤@steftsitsipas | @AustralianOpen | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/vZZIC5HaVF
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 22, 2023
“It was a long match, guys, [and] I feel like I spent an entire century in this court playing tennis,” said Tsitsipas to the crowd in his on-court interview.
“It felt so long,” he admitted. “What a great night…I’m really excited to be sharing moments like this on the court, especially in Australia. I’m trying to do my best out here, it’s not easy. I had an unbelievable opponent on the other side of the court today, playing incredible tennis in the third and fourth sets.”
The victory extended Tsitsipas’ ATP Head2Head series lead against Sinner to 5-1.
Stefanos Tsitsipas bids for a third straight Australian Open semi-final appearance
In the last round, Tsitsipas moved past Tallon Griekspoor in a 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-3 victory. The Greek champion saved a set point late in set two before powering through the finish in the Rod Laver Arena.
Tsitsipas, who will rise to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time should he lift the trophy in Melbourne, will next take on Jiri Lehecka from the Czech Republic as he bids for a third straight Australian Open semi-final appearance.
The Czech will be feeling confident after upsetting sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(2), 7-6(3) earlier on Sunday, although it was Tsitsipas who prevailed in three sets in the pair’s previous tour-level meeting in Rotterdam in February 2022.
Tsitsipas has played in just one Grand Slam final at the 2021 French Open, which he lost to Rafael Nadal. He has gotten to the semi-finals of the Australian Open three times.
Tsitsipas has been ranked as high as world No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He first achieved this on August 9, 2021, making him the highest-ranked Greek player in history alongside Maria Sakkari.
Lastly, he was proclaimed champion of the 2019 ATP Finals, becoming the youngest winner of the year-end championships in eighteen years.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
