Tsitsipas Marks Los Cabos Debut With Straight Sets Win Over Isner

| by Nurein Ahmed

Stefanos Tsitsipas began his US Open preparations with a thoroughly deserved straight-sets victory over big-serving John Isner.

Tsitsipas, the top seed at the Los Cabos Open, is playing in this tournament for the first time and spoke candidly and with the enthusiasm of his love affair with the Mexican city, likening it to Greece, given the close proximity to the sea. And Tsitsipas' exuberance reflected in his dominant 6-2, 6-4 win over Isner.

Tsitspas started the match on the front foot, manufacturing three successive break points in the fifth game of the first set, courtesy of some uncharacteristic errors from Isner's usually reliable forehand and serve. And the Greek broke to love when a mishit backhand looped over the tall American and landed just inside the opposite baseline.

As if to prove that the first break was not a fluke, Tsitsipas established another 40-0 lead on Isner's serve in the seventh game and played a cheeky backhand drop shot on return to break Isner again. With just 20 minutes gone on the clock, Tsitsipas was already 5-2 ahead on his tournament debut.

Tsitsipas Missing 'Great Connection' With Badosa While Travelling
Tsitsipas Missing 'Great Connection' With Badosa While Travelling

The number one seed held routinely after the change of ends to take the first set 6-2. Tsitsipas won 12 out of 12 first-serve points in that set and perhaps tellingly, Isner's serve was nowhere near its proficiency, winning just 54% of first-serve points.

The second set stayed on serve, until once again, Tsitsipas made his move in the fifth game. Despite holding a 30-0 lead on serve, errors crept into Isner's game and gifted Tsitsipas the break from the position of control. Two forehand misses from 30-all gave Tsitsipas pretty much an unassailable lead.

Moments later, Isner was under pressure again, this time needing to see off four more break points on his serve and multiple deuce games to stay in touch with the score. Although Tsitsipas was in cruising, he nearly gave Isner a route back in the match when he served for it at 5-4, but the American dumped his forehand into the net when the open court was at his mercy on his first break point of the match.

Tsitsipas didn't blink twice and finished off the waning 38-year-old on his first match point. Overall, it was a solid display from the top seed who won 88% first-serve points in the match and tallied eight aces. Isner, by contrast, was shocking on serve, firing seven aces and winning 66% first-serve points. And Tsitsipas was pleased with his display.

"Great experience (to play in Los Cabos). I know that Mexicans like to party. But I see a lot of kids here, so it's too late they need to go to sleep."

"(On facing Jarry) Good player, he has a lot of good shots, I hope to play continue to play good tennis. Today was a separate challenge, having to play a big player like John. I have something similar tomorrow, I hope to get the crowd's support, let's keep doing it together."

Stefanos Tsitsipas after his win over John Isner

On a day when second seed Cameron Norrie departed the tournament in a shock defeat to unheralded American Aleksandar Kovacevic, Tsitsipas made sure not to join that parade of upset. And instead, he tore Isner's biggest weapon to shreds in a little over an hour.

The match finished well past midnight local time, which makes Los Cabos tennis' ultimate late-night bonanza of sorts, and the Greek will switch his focus to a more challenging quarterfinal against another towering player Nicolas Jarry.

'Zero Responsibility To Prove Something': Tsitsipas On His Tennis Career
'Zero Responsibility To Prove Something': Tsitsipas On His Tennis Career

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