Tsitsipas holds off Sinner in thriller to reach quarter-finals
Stefanos Tsitsipas found another gear when it counted to fend off Jannik Sinner in a five-set thriller and reach the Australian Open quarter-finals in a rare win for the high seeds this Sunday.
A year after dumping Sinner out of the quarters, third seed Tsitsipas crushed the Italian’s hopes of a second great escape at Melbourne Park this year as he held firm to complete a 6-4 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 victory at a heaving Rod Laver Arena.
With the Greek dominated for two sets as Sinner roared back into the match, Tsitsipas captured the decisive break in the sixth game of the decider before sealing it in style with a cross-court forehand winner.
“I felt like I spent an eternity playing on this court,” Tsitsipas said after the four-hour battle.
“What a great night. That was superb, a ‘ripper,’ as they say here.
“I had an unbelievable opponent on the other side of the court, playing incredible tennis in the third and fourth set.
“I stayed really calm, just like Rod Laver used to in his day,” added Tsitsipas, prompting a wave from the Australian great sitting in the crowd.
The three-times Australian Open semi-finalist will meet unseeded 21-year-old Czech Jiri Lehecka for a place in the semi-finals. [Reuters]
