Stefanos Tsitsipas was handed a swift defeat in last night’s third round match against Milos Raonic at the Margaret Court Arena, 5-7, 4-6, 6-7 (2) and has been eliminated from the Australian Open. The young Greek was outplayed at every turn by the experienced Canadian, who seemed to be in control of the game from the start and dominated the proceedings, never allowing his opponent to gain the upper hand.

Raonic made several breaks to Tsitsipas’ service, breaking the 21-year-old’s concentration and forcing him to make several mistakes. The calm and collected face of the Canadian seemed like a polar opposite from what was going on in the other side of the court, with Tsitsipas looking more and more frustrated after every point. After dropping the first set 5-7, the world number six attempted to fight back into the game but his Serbian-born opponent wasn’t giving him any room to breathe.

“I felt a bit stupid returning his (Raonic’s) serves,” Tsitsipas told journalists after the game. “I felt a bit slow, like my anticipation wasn’t there.” He also gave credit to his opponent. “He’s playing forehands from all over the court and you don’t really know where you should stand exactly, because he’s just so fast and turning around, hitting those forehands.”

The talented Greek made his last stand in the third and final set, leading it to the tie-breaker, but his lack of a response to Raonic’s play style led him to defeat. Now, having missed yet another opportunity to win a Grand Slam title, he will wait for the next chance, which will be at the French Open in May.

Rowdy fans return in spades

While Tsitsipas was playing inside the Margaret Court Arena, the voices of the Hellas Fan Club Melbourne (HFMC) could be heard outside of the stadium’s grounds. Carrying Greek and Serbian flags, alongside those of the Vergina Sun, their chants once again headed towards the more ethnic side.

They went on mocking several media outlets, the Victoria Police, and a member of the security, while at some stage they paraded a banner with the phrase “quiet, please”, teasing the crowd that was watching the games. At some point, a Greek-speaking member of the security approached the group to give them a word of caution, only to be met with boos and chants. It’s worth pointing out that all this occurred during the Tsitsipas-Raonic third round match, a clear indicator that the members of the group had no interest whatsoever in the game, rather their main reason for being at the grounds was to pass their own message.

A “Neos Kosmos” representative who was at the Margaret Court Arena attempted to speak to one of the members of the HFMC, yet they refused to comment.