Paris, June 11: World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece entered his maiden Grand Slam singles final when he defeated Alexander Zverev of Germany from being 0-2 sets down in a semi-final match to clinch a nerve-wracking deciding set.
Surviving the battle of 3 hours and 37 minutes, fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas has reached his first Grand Slam title. He also became the first Greek to reach a Grand Slam final.
The 22-year-old needed five match points to complete a 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3 win over world No.6 Zverev.
With the match entering the decider, Tsitsipas changed his kit and started afresh. He saved three break points in the first game of the final set to hold his serve and then went on to break the German to take a crucial lead in the decider and eventually closed the set 6-3.
Tsitsipas broke a three-match losing streak in major semi-finals to improve his ATP tour-leading match record to 39-8 this year.
Pavlyuchenkova vs Krejcikova in women’s final
Success seemed to come so quickly and easily for Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova as a junior, including three Grand Slam girls’ titles and a No. 1 ranking by her early teens.
Not so much in the professional ranks.
Her match against Barbora Krejcikova at the French Open on Saturday comes at the end of Pavlyuchenkova’s 52nd major tournament, the most Slam appearances before reaching a final for any woman in the Open era, which began in 1968.
It is, fittingly, a surprising matchup at the end of a surprise-filled two weeks at Roland Garros.
Four-time major champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the tournament, citing the need for a mental health break. No. 1 Ash Barty retired from her second-round match because of an injury. Serena Williams lost in the fourth round. Defending champion Iga Swiatek bowed out in the quarterfinals.
It was the first time since the 1978 Australian Open that all four women’s semifinalists had never been that far at a Grand Slam tournament.
The men’s semifinals Friday featured familiar faces: Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic, and Tsitsipas vs. Zverev.
Pavlyuchenkova, who is seeded 31st, had been 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterfinals until this week.
Krejcikova, a 25-year-old from the Czech Republic who is unseeded and ranked 33rd, hadn’t made it past the fourth round in at any major before this trip to Paris.
Then again, in contrast to her opponent, this is just the fifth time Krejcikova has participated in the main draw at one of the Slams in singles. (Agencies)
