Fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas put in a dominant performance, keeping things “clean and simple” to thrash Swede Mikael Ymer 6-4 6-1 6-1 and canter into the fourth round of the Australian Open on Saturday.
The 22-year-olds were hitting partners during their mandatory 14-day quarantine after arriving Down Under. Conditions were not much different on Saturday, with no spectators allowed due to the five-day lockdown in Melbourne.
“Clean game. I think I kept things simple, didn’t complicate whatever tactics or whatever use of my game I wanted to execute today,” Tsitsipas told reporters.
After a closely contested opening set when Tsitsipas could manage only a single break of the 95th-ranked Ymer’s serve, the Greek raised his level to turn the match into a one-sided affair at John Cain Arena.
Ymer did not help his own cause with 36 unforced errors in the match but he managed to hit 14 winners, most from his heavy forehand.
In reply, Tsitsipas stayed clinical, hit 27 winners and kept his unforced errors to 20 while winning 78% points on his first serve. He broke Ymer’s serve twice in the second set and four times in the third, while suffering just a single break on his own serve.
“I’d say I entered a little bit stressed in the match,” the Greek said.
“I don’t know why, for which reasons, but over time I got used to the conditions, to the big court, and I think I managed to sustain my level and even raise my level once I got a few breaks ahead.
“That gave me a lot of confidence, and I felt like I was on top of my game at that point.”
Tsitsipas, a semi-finalist at Melbourne Park in 2019, will next meet the winner of the match between Italian ninth seed Matteo Berrettini and Russian Karen Khachanov, who is seeded 19th.
REUTERS