Greek tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the Australian Open quarterfinals by settling his duel against Taylor Fritz 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in three hours and 26 minutes.
The Rod Laver Arena opened the doors for this star game of the day later as a result of the day having gone quite slowly. With which, it began an hour late within the schedule that had previously been established. The World No.4, arrived with these doubts and having left some partial in previous appointments such as against Seba Báez and Benoit Paire. On this occasion, he was facing an American of broader maturity who was making his debut in the round of 16 of a Grand Slam tournament.
It was a meeting where the services could have a great importance. There were many details that could take the game to one side or the other. In the first set, who opened the ban on breaks was the American by finding a 15-40 after he also had options during the previous game. With that first set for Fritz at 6-4, the second set, he was still less dynamic in terms of points on return. Both were very focused and knew the importance of getting them ahead. It was Taylor who could have better sensations on the court, but Stefanos put his poise on stage. At 4-5, a 30-40 came and he took advantage of it. It was the first break ball he had had in the entire game that had been in play for more than an hour and a half.
The start of the third set was very tough for the fourth seed. A 15-40 and four break balls saved in total with a Fritz who wanted to go all out after that set march for a minimum detail. The Greek saved him but later came the break for the No.20 seed. He also had options to close it with the double break but Stefanos, looking to offer more fight or at least start serving in the next set, saved him. Fritz, however, did not hesitate and with a scoreless game he took the third.
Stefanos again went through moments of trouble with his serve in the fourth. He knew that in one of those outings he could lose the stake, and he solved it. Arrived towards the outcome, the break was for the Greek standing 5-3 and serve. At that time, with everything going for him, Taylor also wanted to give it his all and stood at 15-40. Finally, the Greek was able to head towards the fifth round with what was harvested.
In this fifth set, the serves had fewer problems for the server. They continued to concentrate and the balance continued to be very balanced. The sensations of both could become positive. They reached the important moments and who was right again was Tsitsipas. He was placed with 5-4 to take course to his next clash. With which, after going through the seat, he took his time and in a concentrated way he took the game forward. Tsitsipas came from behind Fritz at the Australian Open and will meet Jannik Sinner for a spot in the semifinals.
