Stefanos Tsitsipas bounced back from a set down to defeat Australia’s Jordan Thompson 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday, April 8, advancing to the third round of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
The three-time champion showed resilience after Thompson fought back from a break down in the second set to level at 4-5.
Tsitsipas responded by winning seven of the final nine games to improve his record to 4-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.
“I really didn’t know what to expect, you don’t know what your opponent is capable of,” Tsitsipas said after the match.
“He showed a good first set, he seemed to be playing quite reserved and wasn’t giving me much to work with. I was just trying to find something to reignite that consistency within my game.”
Thompson, ranked No. 38, served well in the opening set, dropping just four points on serve. However, Tsitsipas’ change to a more aggressive return position in the second set proved crucial, with the Greek No. 1 moving inside the baseline to apply pressure on Thompson’s service games.
“I tried to work around my serve… Once that felt more consistent, I tried to focus on my return. Trying to return from far back didn’t seem to work much, so I had to rely on closer returns, and it seemed to work well,” Tsitsipas explained.
Thompson ultimately faltered, missing a key smash in the third set, which allowed Tsitsipas to gain a decisive break lead.
Tsitsipas, who has won three of the last four editions of the Monte-Carlo Masters, will next face Nuno Borges or Pedro Martinez in the third round.
Tsitsipas, now with a 21-3 record in Monte-Carlo, is aiming for a fourth title, which would make him the second-most successful player in the event’s history, behind only Rafael Nadal.
Source: ATP Tour.
