Tsitsipas surges through second round, possibly awaits Isner
- 24 Aug 2020
Stefanos Tsitsipas is the first man through to round three of the Cincinnati Masters after he defeated Kevin Anderson 6-1, 6-3 on Sunday.
There was very little doubt that Tsitsipas would have his way in this match, as Anderson was coming off a two-hour and 58-minute battle against Kyle Edmund just one day earlier (a 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-3 thriller). Given all the physical struggles the 6’8” South African has been through over the past few years, it was hard to see him bouncing back just about 24 hours later.
A red-hot Tsitsipas did not help matters for Anderson. The sixth-ranked Greek, who finished runner-up at the first Ultimate Tennis Showdown, served at 62 percent and saved all three of the break points he faced.
“I think the fact that I kept my serve very aggressive and I remained aggressive with my groundstrokes helped a lot and I’m very pleased that I was able to maintain my game throughout the entire match, same intensity,” Tsitsipas said in interview with ESPN. “It was an excellent first set; it was great.”
The only sticky situation for Cincinnati’s No. 4 seed came at 2-2 in the second set, which is when Anderson earned all three of his break chances. Nonetheless, Tsitsipas scraped out of a 0-40 hole and managed to take care of his serve yet again. From there it was all but over.
“I kind of erased it from my mind,” Tsitsipas said of the 2-2 game. “That was a crucial game, being able to come back there and maintain the focus that I needed to be back in the match and not be a break down, that was a very good effort from me. It was my fighting spirit that turned on and my service points there were incredible.”
Next up for the 22-year-old on Tuesday could be another big server in John Isner. The 6’10” American made routine 7-5, 6-4 work of his doubles partner, Hubert Hurkacz. Isner first has to get past John Millman, who outlasted Adrian Mannarino in a third-set tiebraker.
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