Stefanos Tsitsipas didn't have a very good preparation for Wimbledon but he'll be heading into the event with a win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Davidovich Fokina is no slouch on grass as the Spaniard is a former Wimbledon juniors champion. He's played okay on the surface in the professionals on the ATP Tour but certainly not on a level that's title-winning. Tsitispas himself has never been a very good grass player but found some success on it last year by winning his maiden trophy on the grass in Mallorca.
Much of that success is attributed to him hiring former player Mark Philippoussis who improved his serve and his grass level. They parted ways earlier this year and perhaps the poor play from Tsitsipas on the surface is tied to them splitting up. It's unclear but it's an interesting coincidence if nothing else.
His only win before this match came in Halle where he bested Gregoire Barrere. He lost in the opening round of Stuttgart, lost to Jarry in Hale and to Hanfmann in Mallorca. It's just been very poor though this performance was a bit better.
Davidovich Fokina being 0-3 on grass this year doesn't make this win look impressive but it was still an important win for the Greek as he has a very tough draw at Wimbledon. Dominic Thiem in round one and then likely Andy Murray in round won't make him too happy but his play in the exhibition match certainly will.
It was a straight-set win that had two legs. The first one was the opening set plus one point with rain stopping play for a while. After the match resumed, Tsitsipas continued playing well breaking Fokina immediately.
The match was a very fast paced one lasting a little over an hour with the final score being 6-4 6-4. A good win and a needed win for Tsitsipas.
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