Stefanos Tsitsipas took an important step in this year's participation in the US Open. The Greek tennis player qualified for the round of 16 of the tournament for the first time, after defeating the 18th seed Jiri Lehecszka 2:6, 6:1, 7:6(3), 6:1, reports sportal.bg. Thus, Tsitsipas recorded a third consecutive victory in four sets, after in each of his previous matches he started with a lost first set. Among his successes is the impressive elimination of the 10th seed and Cincinnati champion Arthur Fiss in the first round.
The Greek also revealed a curious part of his psychological preparation for the competition. "I try to adopt this ancient Greek philosophy of preparing for the worst-case scenario in my mind before I go out on the field. I've already accepted that there can be really bad scenarios. It's not always going to be perfect, the way I want it to be, so going into a match with that mindset allows me to look at what I'm doing a little differently than I normally would," Tsitsipas said.
The match at the "Grandstand" started off tough for him, with Lehecza winning the first set convincingly. However, Tsitsipas quickly turned the tide of the match and tied the score after a decisive second half.
The key moment came in the third set. The two reached a tiebreak, in which the Greek tennis player imposed his will and took the lead in the score. A few hesitant plays by Lehecszka helped Tsitsipas win the decisive points.
After that, he did not let go of the initiative. In the fourth set, Tsitsipas made two breaks and ended the match, receiving serious support from the stands. The audience did not stop chanting his name, and the tennis player in turn encouraged the fans.
After allowing breaks in his first three service games, Tsitsipas gradually found his rhythm on the opening stroke. He finished the match with 12 aces and after a difficult start gave only one break opportunity to his opponent, which he managed to repel.
The Greek tennis player was also particularly effective in the baseline games. He often used his forehand across the entire width of the court, with the aim of moving Lehecszka and forcing him to leave his comfortable position. For Tsitsipas, this is his first time reaching the round of 16 in his ninth appearance at the US Open.