Bedene Hangs Tough, Beats Tsitsipas In Rotterdam

Aljaz Bedene recorded just the second Top 10 victory of his career on Thursday at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. The Slovenian held firm on serve in the first set en route to overcoming World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 33 minutes for a place in the quarter-finals. He’ll now meet Felix Auger-Aliassime for the first time.

Bedene saved five break points in the first set – two in his first service game and three at 3-4 – before winning the final 11 points to take the 53-minute opener. Second seed Tsitsipas unravelled after leading 5-4, with Bedene at 15/30 on his serve, and was broken to love at 5-5 when he struck a forehand wide.

Bedene gained a second service break at 1-1 in the second set, when a crosscourt forehand hit the net and bounced over Tsitsipas, who was en route to the net. World No. 52 Bedene closed out with a brilliant forehand down the line – his 20th winner of the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting.

Tsitsipas, who recovered from a set and break down against Hubert Hurkacz in the first round, drops to a 3-4 record on the season. Bedene beat his first Top 10 player in May 2018 at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (d. No. 7 Kevin Anderson)