The first duel between debutants was taken by Stefanos Tsitsipas, finer in this season finale than Daniil Medvedev, who seems to weigh his legs after a very intense second part of the course. The Greek won 7-6 (5) and 6-4, in one hour and 42 minutes of a very close game, with a single service break, which he got in the ninth game of the second set to make it good next and take the win.

«I had goosebumps, playing on this track where I had dreamed so much to do it. It's pure delight, ”commented world number 7, champion in Estoril and Marseille.

Tsitsitpas thus opens the Andre Agassi Group with a success that supports the greatest risks assumed and the accuracy with the service. He prospered in 22 of his 26 uploads to the net and won 39 of the 44 points with the first service. «It has long been one of the most important victories of my career. Everything went wonderfully well, ”said the last semifinalist of the Australian Open, who, at 21, struggles to get his head out among the members of the so-called Next Gen.

The Athens player put an end to the five consecutive defeats against Medvedev, which he had never managed to beat. In a trajectory that still has many ups and downs, Tsitsipas defeated Novak Djokovic a few weeks ago in the quarterfinals of the Shanghai 1000 Masters, before falling into the semifinals precisely with the Russian tennis player.

Emotional confrontation

The date between the two was also an emotional confrontation. Faced with the coldness that characterizes Medvedev, manifested in a special way in the final of the United States Open in which he was close to raising two adverse sets to Nadal, Tsisipas displayed his entire scenic repertoire, with explosive manifestations of joy.

Eliminated in the first round of Paris-Bercy, the Muscovite, winner in Shanghai, Cincinnati, St. Petersburg and Sofia and, in addition to New York, finalist in Canada, Washington, Barcelona and Brisbane, seems to be paying a very intense season, in the who has played 78 games, with 59 wins and 19 losses, impulse thanks to which is the fourth in the ranks. "It's not that I hate him, but as I said before I wouldn't go out with him to dinner," Tsitsipas said of his rival. «I respect him, of course, because he has worked hard to be where he is now. He is a Grand Slam finalist, and that makes him very respectful, ”added the helen, who had a serious mishap with his adversary last year in Miami. "He called me shit Russian," Medvedev said after a fight that forced the judge to intervene so that they did not get to the hands. The staging of Tsitsipas yesterday afternoon could also obey a revenge component before a player with whom, as was also clear after his statements, continues to maintain a more than distant treatment.

The Greek joins Djokovic and Thiem, who on Sunday successfully settled their matches in the Bjorn Borg Group. The tournament's league format keeps all its participants alive, but those who have started it with victory already have greater chances of reaching the semifinals, which will be played on Saturday.

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