Hopman Cup: Roger Federer against Stefanos Tsitsipas for the third win
Tight thing for Roger Federer: The 37-year-old Swiss won his third match at the Hopman Cup in Perth against the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas with 7: 6 (5) and 7: 6 (4). Switzerland is already in the final.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Jan 03, 2019, 01:15 pm
Double fault, ace. The last two points in the tie-break of the first set were ruthlessly unfavorable for Stefanos Tsitsipas: The Greek had already led 4-1 in the quick decision, but allowed Roger Federer to make a comeback. And at 5: 5 bad luck - the Greek's second serve flew from the net edge behind the T-line. Federer did not let himself be asked for long, made the set win clear with an ace.
After 40 minutes, mind you. The match not only met the highest aesthetic standards, the game pace left nothing to be desired.
Federer had started the Hopman Cup with two straight wins against Cameron Norrie and Frances Tiafoe, and Tsitsipas had surprisingly lost to Norrie. Victory against the young American.
Tsitsipas strong on serve
Before his first meeting with Federer, Stefanos Tsitsipas had not been behind the mountain with his anticipation: "I had been dreaming of it for a long time," said the Greek, who won the #NextGen Masters in Milan last November. Federer is the player that he has the greatest respect for on the tour.
There was not much of that on the court in Perth. Tsitsipas was particularly convincing as a server - the success rate for the Greek's first service leveled off at just under 90 percent. Federer also barely showed any nakedness on his own serve - but missed two chances for the first break in the match in the ninth game of the second set. Tsitsipas showed no nerves, warded off Federer's options with an aggressive game.
A few moments later, the Swiss had the break on the racket again, but put a very feasible forehand pass into the net.
The tie-break had to decide again. Federer managed the early mini break to 3: 1, the Swiss won 5: 2 - and got three match balls with a magical backhand stop. The 37-year-old Maestro awarded the first, while the second saw a return from Tsitsipas sailed out.
Federer was very happy after his win. It was a very good match, and the game was determined by a few uncommon mistakes. And: The comparison with the younger players is still a lot of fun for him. With the success against Tsitsipas, Roger Federer made it clear that he was going to make it to the last Hopman Cup.