Greek world number six Stefanos Tsitsipas was outclassed this morning by Canadian Milos Raonic who defeated the Greek 7-6(5) 6-3.
In the opening 11 games, the servers dropped 13 points overall and offered very little to the returner. In the end the Canadian finished with a first serve win percentage of 90, with Tsitsipas earning a smaller percentage of 78.
Tsitsipas put in a tough effort against the Canadian who held at 15 in the opening game with a service winner.
Raonic used his forehand to break through the defence of Tsitsipas early in the second set and, on his first break point at 2-1, successfully broke Tsitsipas’ serve with a low backhand passing shot.
Losing the first-set tiebreak, Tsitsipas ultimately struggled to get back into the match. Raonic held his advantage and served out the match to love.
Stefanos Tsitsipas was one of several younger competitors tipped to make an impact as the Grand Slam starts on Monday. Milos Raonic will play in the final of the Western & Southern Open against either Novak Djokovic or Roberto Bautista Agut.
“It would be incredible [to win an ATP Masters 1000 title]. Just generally as part of my career, it’s not just the past six months coming back [and] playing. Just with everything else, I want to go to heights I haven’t achieved yet and this is a part of it,” said Raonic.
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