Fan favourite Stefanos Tsitsipas has dominated the court during his first match in the Australian Open, against French player Gilles Simon.
In just over one hour and thirty minutes he dispatched the French man in straight sets 6-1, 6-2, 6-1.
It was clear from the onset that the Greek star was in control, racing to 5-0 lead in the first set. That devastating form continued for the remainder of the game, illustrating the confidence and control of the young Greek during this match.
Joining Jim Courier for an interview after the match, Tsitsipas stated that he himself was surprised with the ease with which he beat a player as good as Gilles Simon.
“I wasn’t expecting it to come so easy,” he said, causing quite a stir in the arena. “It was a great match on my side.” he added causing even more commotion.
But of course he did play a spectacular match from beginning to end, dominating the game quite comfortably.
“Whenever I come here I feel a great affinity with the people,” he added. “They give me a lot of energy. It’s a ‘happy slam’ for a reason.”
The win sees Tsitsipas facing Greek Australian Thanassis Kokkinakis next, in their second round of the Australian Open, a game that will be savoured by tennis fans of Greek heritage.
But before that, Stefanos Tsitsipas is teaming up with his brother Petros Tsitsipas for the Men’s Doubles against Mackenzie McDonald and Tommy Paul, on Wednesday 9 February at 3.30 E.A.T.