Tsitsipas Tops De Minaur, Sets US Open Rematch Vs. Alcaraz

Stefanos Tsitsipas clicked into gear in a dominant third set against J.J. Wolf on Saturday night, and it was more of the same against Alex de Minaur on Monday evening at the Miami Open presented by Itau. The Greek improved to 8-0 in their ATP Head2Head history, including a pair of straight-sets wins this season.

“I was able to execute very well today,” said Tsitsipas, who was hunting his forehand early and often. “There were a few moments where I had to fight a little bit and show my inner strength. He fought, as always, and I was very patient. I was trying to focus game after game on how I can open the court and come in.”

In a 6-4, 6-3 victory, a five-game stretch spanning both sets produced the crux of the 90-minute tussle.

Tsitsipas scored the match’s first break in a six-deuce game to seal the opening set, claiming his reward for consistent pressure on the return throughout the set. De Minaur snapped back to create three break points early in the second set, but Tsitsipas held firm and then moved ahead 3-1 to seize control. The Greek dropped just one point on serve in his final three service games.

The third seed was locked in on his backhand return from the start of the match, guiding several close to the sidelines to take the initiative and create three early break points, though De Minaur fought them off with aggressive play.

While the Aussie was quick to step into the court when he could, stunning his opponent with a few forehand winners, Tsitsipas came out ahead on the new Balance of Power metric, Tennis Data Innovation’s new analysis tool. He held an edge of three percentage points there, 26 to 23, with both men surpassing the ATP Tour average of 22 per cent of shots played in attack.

In the second set, Tsitsipas had an even more distinct advantage as he closed out the match, as shown below.

The win sets up a fourth-round showdown against Carlos Alcaraz on Tuesday, when the entire last 16 will be in action. Tsitsipas’ fifth-set tie-break loss to Alcaraz was one of the shocks of the 2021 US Open, but the 18-year-old Spaniard has proven his run to the New York quarter-finals was no fluke.

“I’m going to try and fight. He’s a great player.” the Greek previewed. “For me, it is going to be a big challenge to step out on the court. I like these kinds of challenges. I’m going to put my soul out there and give it my all.”

Also in evening action in Miami, Miomir Kecmanovic continued his hot form with a 7-6(4), 6-3 win over Sebastian Korda. He’ll take on another American in Taylor Fritz for a spot in the quarter-finals.