Greek tennis player, Stefanos Tsitsipas, has stormed into the Australian Open quarter finals after defeating Italian Jannik Sinner in a thrilling five-set encounter on Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Sunday night.
With the enormous Greek community in Melbourne supporting his every move, the No.3 seed managed to survive his toughest test of the tournament against Sinner 6-4 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 in a four-hour epic.
“It was a long match. I felt like I spent an entire century on this court playing tennis. What a great night,” Tsitsipas told reporters after the match.
A Roland Garros champion in 2021, Tsitsipas is the highest remaining seed in the Australian Open, but he was forced to survive a stirring fightback from Sinner.
Tsitsipas dominated for two sets before Sinner roared back into the match.
But the Greek captured the decisive break in the sixth game of the decider before sealing it in style with a cross-court forehand winner in front of 84-year-old Rod Laver, a three-time Australian Open champion.
“I had an unbelievable opponent on the opposite side of the court tonight, playing unbelievable tennis in the third and fourth sets,” Tsitsipas said.
“But I stayed really calm just like Mr Rod Laver used to do in his day.”
The three-times Australian Open semi-finalist will now meet unseeded 21-year-old Czech Jiri Lehecka for a place in the semi-finals.
Tsitsipas will become the world No.1 for the first time if he wins the Australian Open.
Source: ABC News.
