Matching Report
Tsitsipas completes Cincinnati’s comeback against Struff
Auger-Aliassime hits in the second round
August 14, 2024
Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour
Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Jan-Lennard Struff in three sets on Wednesday at the Cincinnati Open.
By ATP staff
Stefanos Tsitsipas held deep to get his North American hard court summer going on Wednesday at the Cincinnati Open.
Competing at the ATP Masters 1000 event after losing the first round in Montreal, Tsitsipas came from a set down and a break down to defeat Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. The Greek created a number of comeback opportunities in the second and third sets, converting three of his 14 break points en route to a one-hour, 57-minute victory.
“I felt like I was in a good position to go well towards the end of the match with my performance,” said Tsitsipas in his post-match interview. “The sooner my fitness improved, the sooner my confidence been forward and closing
“I was on break, I was able to keep fighting and get a break. I soon felt like I was beginning to find out what was really working behind his worship. He made a few double faults, and I took that opportunity, I put myself first, and I think that when I started reminding myself of my best qualities as a player, these things started to work on the court. It pushed me a lot [close out the match].”
Mid-game improvements ✅・・・・・@steftsitsipas he made some changes as well as his own #ShotQuality woke up 📈#ShotQuality calculated in real time by analyzing each shot’s speed, spin, depth, range, and impact on the opponent#TennisInsights | @atptour | @CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/sqOfhxigAY
— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) August 14, 2024
The way the match ended was very different from the opening set, where Struff won all 15 points after his first serve and did not face a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Germany’s bid for victory was ultimately undermined by her delivery, however, as double faults contributed to her being broken in the last game of the second set and in the second game of the final.
A 2022 Cincinnati qualifier, Tsitsipas’ next challenge at this year’s Ohio event will be a second round with either Jack Draper or Jaume Munar.
The 26-year-old Greek, competing in his first event since announcing the end of his coaching relationship with his father Apostolos Tsitsipas, is looking to increase his standing in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin with a deep run in Cincinnati. Tsitsipas is currently ranked ninth as he makes his sixth consecutive run at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.
Felix Auger-Aliassime also bounced back from an early exit in Montreal with a strong start in Cincinnati. The Canadian won 6-3, 6-1 in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head match against Aleksandar Kovacevic. A two-time quarter-finalist at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, Auger-Aliassime’s next opponent will be seventh seed Casper Ruud.
Felix Auger-Aliassime”>
Felix Auger-Aliassime advances to the second round in Cincinnati. Photo Credit: Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour
