Six years ago, Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the semi-finals of the European Open in Antwerp as a 19-year-old qualifier.
On Thursday, he returned to the ATP 250 as the top seed, and he delivered with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Botic van de Zandschulp.
“It took a while… every point seemed like a struggle, and every game felt like a contest,” Tsitsipas said after reclaiming an early break in the pair’s match.
According to the ATP Tour, Tsitsipas overcame a 2-4 deficit in the first set against van de Zandschulp to increase his season record in first-round matches to 14-5. From that point on, the Greek took control of centre court, winning nine of his next 11 games.
Tsitsipas will next face fifth seed Yannick Hanfmann on Friday in the quarterfinal.
Along with his singles campaign, Tsitsipas and his brother Petros Tsitsipas have also advanced to the doubles semi-finals in Antwerp.
Source: ATP Tour
