Greek tennis superstar Stefanos Tsitsipas has knocked out Italy’s top player Matteo Berrettini 7-6(3), 6-2 at Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
The Grand Stand Arena was filled with cheering fans as the World No. 5 took down Berrettini one hour and 36 minutes.
Tsitsipas was able to come back from what could’ve easily turned into a first set loss, coming back from being 1/3 down in the tie-break with six consecutive points.
It was during the second set when the young Greek’s talents really shone, applying more concentrated pressure on his Italian opponent early on.
Tsitsipas churned out six break points across his opening two return games, before closing the set with a second break and a love service.
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“I had to deal with very serious business today,” Tsitsipas said in a post match interview.
“Matteo was applying a lot of pressure with his serve, being very precise and accurate and that was the most difficult [part] of the match today… In the tie-break, I found my footwork which helped me transform my game and feel more comfortable playing the rallies. I was happy. I fought like I always do. I never gave up. I saw [my] opportunity and grabbed it.”
The 22-year-old will face World No.1 Novak Djokovic on the clay for a spot in the semi-finals, which you can watch tonight at 9:20pm AEST.
Tsitsipas may be a little nervous to meet his Serbian opponent again after losing to him at last year’s Roland Garros final.
“[Djokovic] has won here a lot of times. I am just expecting to go out there [and] give my best performance,” Tsitsipas said.
“He can play on all surfaces. We played each other at Roland Garros. I see this as an opportunity for me to do something better this time. I hope to be able to play the same tennis that I have been playing so far and be a challenge for him.”