Stefanos Tsitsipas - Not the first time giving away the victory
Stefanos Tsitsipas was eliminated on Thursday in the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Miami. In a game that the Greek against Hubert Hurkacz actually had under control.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Apr 02, 2021, 08:26 am
ATP tournaments that pay out 1,500 points to the winner are few and far between. Strictly speaking, there is only one of them: the year-end tournament, which will be held in Turin from this year on. After all, Stefanos Tsitsipas can make a catch behind this category. The Greek won in London at the end of 2019, won the last tour match of the season against Dominic Thiem .
Otherwise, Tsitsipas has only succeeded in the 250 category: two titles in Marseille can be mentioned, one each in Estoril and Stockholm. A win at an ATP Tour 500 event? Tsitsipas was recently close in Acapulco, dominated the early stages of the final against Alexander Zverev - and then allowed the German to make a comeback.
Tsitsipas cannot take advantage of opportunities
Not the first time that the 22-year-old has completely lost a match. In 2020 at the US open, Tsitsipas missed six match points against Borna Coric, and left New York City slightly disconcerted. After his departure in Miami against Hubert Hurkacz, the emotional situation will not be significantly different: Tsitsipas dominated Hurkacz in set one, made an early break in round two - and gave up the semifinal place in an almost bizarre way: During the decisive breaks in the sets two and three Tsitsipas could not use a 40: 0 each. Hurkacz politely said “Thank you” and can now try Andrey Rublev.
"I was very stressed in these two weeks," reflected Tsitsipas after his departure. “I felt that this was my great opportunity. I did very well, but I could have done a lot more. ”Everything was under control against Hurkacz. “And suddenly, I don't know why, there was a self-explosion. I gave up the match. It is a very disappointing defeat. "
Which does not mean that Stefanos Tsitsipas would have gone into his semi-finals as a big favorite. Because there is Andrey Rublev, a player who has fought great duels with Tsitsipas. With different results. But now Hurkacz can try his hand at the Russian. In Rome last year, from the Pole's point of view, that worked out well.
Here the single tableau in Miami