Tsitsipas’ 20 biggest wins of 2019

With the 2020 season officially underway, AGONAsport looks back at world number six Stefanos Tsitsipas’ 20 best wins of his phenomenal 2019 season.

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With 54 total singles wins (59 if counting Davis Cup and Hopman Cup), including nine top 10 wins, 2019 was without a doubt the young Greek’s best season to date. Here is a countdown of his 20 biggest wins, judged by tournament, round, ranking of opponent, and overall significance.

20. Estoril ATP 250, Semi-Final, (1) Tsitsipas (#10) d. (4) Goffin (#25, Belgium) 3-6 6-4 6-4

This win over the experienced Belgian saw Tsitsipas reach his third final of the year. It also put him into his second career clay court final, and gave him his first win over a top 25 player in over two months.

19. Australian Open, Round of 128, (14) Tsitsipas (#15) d. Berrettini (#54, Italy) 6-7 6-4 6-3 7-6

While a win over the world number 54 may seem out of place on this list, this was an important victory for Greek tennis. With this win, Tsitsipas became the first male player from Greece to ever win a main draw match at the Australian Open. It should also be noted that Berrettini ended the 2019 season ranked number eight in the world, so his ranking of 54 at the time did not necessarily do him justice.

18. Beijing ATP 500, Round of 16, (3) Tsitsipas d. Basilashvili (#17, Georgia) 4-6 6-3 6-2

After not beating a top 20 opponent in nearly five months, this was an important win for Tsitsipas to get back on track in 2019. Basilashvili was also the defending champion in Beijing. 

17. Beijing ATP 500, Quarter-Final, (3) Tsitsipas d. Isner (#19, United States) 7-6 6-3

Before this match, Tsitsipas was 0-2 against Isner and had never even won a set against the American. It seemed that he struggled to handle Isner’s massive serve in the past, so this was a big confidence-boosting win for Tsitsipas. 

16. Estoril ATP 250, Final, (1) Tsitsipas (#10) d. Cuevas (#67, Uruguay) 6-3 7-6

This victory gave Tsitsipas his second title of the year, and the third of his career. He also became the first Greek man to ever win a clay court title, as a result of this title.

15. Marseille ATP 250, Final, (1) Tsitsipas (#12) d. Kukushkin (#50, Kazakhstan) 7-5 7-6

This was a big win for Tsitsipas, as it gave him his second career ATP title. It was also the first time the Greek won a title without dropping a set throughout the tournament.

14. Australian Open, Round of 32, (14) Tsitsipas (#15) d. (19) Basilashvili (#20, Georgia) 6-3 3-6 7-6 6-4

Tsitsipas had to fight hard for this win, and even saved a set point in a dramatic tiebreaker in the third set. With this win, Tsitsipas reached the second week of a Grand Slam for just the second time in his career. He also became the first Greek man to make it this far at least twice at a Grand Slam.

13. Shanghai Masters 1000, Round of 32, (6) Tsitsipas (#7) d. Auger-Aliassime (#19, Canada) 7-6 7-6

This was another important win for Tsitsipas’ confidence, as he had never beaten Auger-Aliassime prior to this match. This was their third meeting at the professional level, and sixth overall (including junior matches).

12. ATP Finals, Round Robin, (6) Tsitsipas (#6) d. (7) Zverev (#7, Germany) 6-3 6-2

This marked Tsitsipas’ fourth consecutive win against Zverev, who also happened to be the defending champion at the ATP Finals. Tsitsipas comfortably won this match, showing that he is absolutely dominant against Zverev, as he now leads the head-to-head series 4-1 over the German.

11. Dubai ATP 500, Semi-Final, (6) Tsitsipas (#11) d. Monfils (#23, France) 4-6 7-6 7-6

With Monfils leading by a set and a break, few expected Tsitsipas to come back and win. Monfils had already beaten the Greek just three weeks before this match in Sofia. Additionally, Monfils was on an eight-match win streak coming into this match. As Tsitsipas was able to come from behind and win this match, he secured his debut in the world’s top 10.

10. Rome Masters 1000, Round of 16, (8) Tsitsipas (#7) d. (10) Fognini (#12, Italy) 6-4 6-3

Prior to this match, Fognini had won nine of his last 10 matches, a run which included winning the title at the Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo. Playing at Fognini’s home tournament in front of his home crowd made it tough for Tsitsipas, who was still able to defeat the Italian in straight sets. This gave Tsitsipas his 10th win in 11 matches. Additionally, it must be noted that due to rain Tsitsipas had to play his round of 32 and round of 16 matches in the same day, and was still able to prevail in straight sets in both matches.

9. Australian Open, Quarter-Final, (14) Tsitsipas (#15) d. (22) Bautista Agut (#24, Spain) 7-5 4-6 6-4 7-61

With this win, Tsitsipas became the youngest player to advance to the Australian Open semifinals since 2003, and of course the first Greek player to ever reach that stage at any Grand Slam tournament. Coming into the match, Bautista Agut held a 9-0 record for the season and was in top form, beating several top players along the way. He would later reach the top 10, proving that Tsitsipas’ win was far bigger than it might have seemed on paper. Furthermore, it was important for Tsitsipas to win this match as he showed that he could handle the media hype/pressure and not have a letdown after his stunning upset over Federer in the previous round.

8. Beijing ATP 500, Semi-Final, (3) Tsitsipas (#7) d. (2) Zverev (#6, Germany) 7-6 6-4

This win put Tsitsipas into his first final since May, and doing so by defeating the world number six made it extra special. This was Tsitsipas’ third consecutive win over Zverev. It was also the first time this season that Tsitsipas beat three top 20 players in a row.

7. Madrid Masters 1000, Quarter-Final, (8) Tsitsipas (#9) d. (3) Zverev (#4, Germany) 7-5 3-6 6-2

In this match, Tsitsipas fought hard to defeat the defending champion in Madrid. He also made it to the semifinals of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament for just the second time in his career, and for the first time on clay.

6. ATP Finals, Round Robin, (6) Tsitsipas (#6) d. (4) Medvedev (#4, Russia) 7-6 6-4

Medvedev was another player who Tsitsipas previously struggled against, perhaps more so than any other opponent. Despite that, the Greek was able to win this match in straight sets, to earn his first win in six attempts over the Russian. This was also significant as it was Tsitsipas’ debut at the ATP Finals, and he was able to start off with a win.

5. ATP Finals, Semi-Final, (6) Tsitsipas (#6) d. (3) Federer (#3, Switzerland) 6-3 6-4

Any win against Federer (arguably the greatest tennis player of all-time) will always belong high up on a list like this. Not only did Tsitsipas reach the final of the ATP Finals with this victory, but he also got revenge on the Swiss. Tsitsipas had lost his two most recent matches against Federer before this both in straight sets, so this win levelled their head-to-head series at 2-2.

4. ATP Finals, Final, (6) Tsitsipas (#6) d. (5) Thiem (#5, Austria) 6-7 6-2 7-6

Coming into this match, Tsitsipas trailed the head-to-head series 2-4 against Thiem, and both players were looking to win the biggest title of their careers. Thiem had won their only previous meeting in 2019, which was just over a month before this match in the final of Beijing. Tsitsipas prevailed in a dramatic three set match, becoming the youngest player to win the ATP Finals since 2001. It should be noted that prior to this match, Thiem held a 15-2 record in decisive sets this season, including 11-0 on hardcourts.

3. Shanghai Masters 1000, Quarter-Final, (6) Tsitsipas (#7) d. (1) Djokovic (#1, Serbia) 3-6 7-5 6-3

This was another one of Tsitsipas’ biggest wins of 2019. Prior to this match, Djokovic had won seven straight matches without dropping a set. This was Tsitsipas’ first (and so far only) win against a world number. He became the first player to ever beat Djokovic before the semifinal stage in Shanghai, where Djokovic was a four-time champion. Tsitsipas also became the first player to ever come from one set down against Djokovic in the quarterfinals of any tournament. Finally, this win also secured Tsitsipas’ qualification for the 2019 ATP Finals.

2. Madrid Masters 1000, Semi-Final, (8) Tsitsipas (#9) d. (2) Nadal (#2, Spain) 6-4 2-6 6-3

This was an epic win over the “King of Clay” in front of his home crowd in Madrid. Coming into this encounter, Tsitsipas held an 0-3 record against Nadal. This win put Tsitsipas into his second career final at the ATP Masters 1000 level, and his first final at this level on clay. It also brought him up to a new career-high ranking of number seven in the world.

1. Australian Open, Round of 16, (14) Tsitsipas (#15) d. (3) Federer (#3, Switzerland) 6-7 7-6 7-5 7-6

This countdown would not be complete without listing arguably the best win of Tsitsipas’ career. This remains Tsitsipas’ only win against a top 10 opponent at a Grand Slam tournament. With this win, Tsitsipas not only became the first Greek player to ever reach a major quarterfinal in singles, but he also knocked out the two-time defending Australian Open champion.

by Andrew Stamas

Image Source: to10.gr

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