It just keeps getting better for 19 Year old teenage Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas. After making the final of the Barcelona ATP earlier this year and then the semi finals of last week's Washington ATP upsetting David Goffin along the way, tonight he only went and convincingly ousted four time champion Novak Djokovic at the Rogers Cup.
Tsitsipas fully deserved his victory playing some excellent aggressive tennis which was too hot for Djokovic to handle. This included numerous forays to the net where he converted most of his points playing a solid forecourt game with both clean volleys and smashes. Tsitsipas who hits a single handed backhand with considerable power stroked home an impressive number of winners down the line and his fore hand was also up to scratch too as Djokovic struggled to provide any sort of resilient defense tonight. The Greek hit 42 winners to Djokovic's 32 in the entire match.
Guilty of Passive Defense
Djokovic was guilty of a way too passive defense tonight happy to just parry shots back into mid court play. Additionally when he had the opportunity to take the initiative to Tsitsipas he chose to hit much tamer than usual ground strokes with little angle or depth most of the time. This allowed hard hitting Tsitsipas to pick him off in countless exchanges with winners on both his forehand and backhand.
Half a Chance Gone Astray
Djokovic was given half a chance to survive the match tonight when he claimed the second set on a tie break then at 15-30 in the first game of the final set, Tsitsipas looked rattled from loosing the tie break and this was the moment Djokovic needed to seize the initiative to take the match to Tsitsipas. Instead he spurned two good chances on the greeks serve and gifted him the first game of the set. He went on to subsequently be broken before Tsitsipas solidified the break of serve to go 3-0 clear in games. From that point on in the third it was just a formality for the greek to hold serve which he did with both composure and professionalism.
Not a Single Break Point Opportunity for Djokovic in the First & Second Sets
This stat alone reflected Tsitsipas service performance more than it did Djokovic's lack of attack in the first. He was so solid on his service game that arguably one of the best returners of serve in the game failed to produce a single break point opportunity against him. Tsitsipas on the other hand managed to produce 6 break points in the first set.
Djokovic had to win the second set on a tie break having again had no break points on the Tsitsipas serve. Although he did come through the tie break in reasonably comfortable fashion.
The third set didn't fair much better for Djokovic either. He had just two break point opportunities to break straight back at Tsitsipas but spurned them both with some sloppy returning. This lead to him breaking his racket out of sheer frustration in match he didn't seem to ever really find his true rhythm in. But these signs were also ominous when he beat Canada's Peter Polansky yesterday in somewhat suspect style so perhaps this tournament was never meant to be his to loose.
Gracious in Defeat
To be fair to Novak he behaved like a true gentleman after the match realising what a great victory it was for the 19 year old teenager hailing from Athens. He shook his hand with a smile and gave him a hug before disappearing off the court. Djokovic will probably realise he was beat admirably today by a fearless youngster who came out of the blocks from the first point.
Tsitsipas was overcome with emotion from what his no doubt his greatest victory to date. He just managed to defeat this years Wimbledon champion by playing excellent back and fore court tennis. If he can continue that sort of hitting for the rest of the tournament he has a good chance of making it to the final.
The Greek Marches On!
Tsitsipas can now look forward to a likely quarter final and rematch against Alexander Zverev should the German overcome the surging Daniil Medvedev which is happening as I write this article.
It will be an intriguing quarter final because these two youngsters with only two years separating them battled it out in Washington last week where Zverev pretty much did to Tsitsipas what Tsitsipas did to Djokovic tonight. Perhaps Tsitsipas can face down Zverev with more confidence this time using the win over him to take the game to Zverev in more convincing style than last week. Lets wait and see!
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