Stefanos Tsitsipas lost 6-0, 7-6 (5) to Novak Djokovic at the Italian Open final in Rome on Sunday.
The first set was disastrous for Tsitsipas, who had his service broken three times by Djokovic and lost it in only a half hour.
The Greek was better in the second set, breaking Djokovic’s serve in the fourth game and then holding his own for a 4-1 lead. But Djokovic stepped up his game when Tsitsipas served for the set at 5-3.
First, the Serb ripped a forehand cross-court return winner that landed on the line, then on the next point he pushed Tsitsipas from corner to corner before the fifth-ranked Greek player resorted to a drop shot attempt that landed in the net.
When a backhand from Tsitsipas sailed wide on the first match point, Djokovic simply raised his arms and smiled.
In the tie-break, Djokovic led 5-2, with Tsitsipas coming back to level at 5-5. Djokovic won the tie-break, 7-5, and the match, when a Tsitsipas backhand sailed wide.
This match was Djokovic’s first victory since last November’s Paris Masters and his sixth Rome title.
Source: AP News / Ekathimerini.
 to Novak Djokovic at the Italian Open final in Rome on Sunday.){kind=link}