Stefanos Tsitsipas made the perfect start at the Indian Wells open by dominating against Lucas Pouille.
It has not been a great opening to the season for Tsitsipas. He has slipped out of the Top 10 and is yet to have an extremely notable run at any of his previous tournaments in 2024.
The two-time Grand Slam runner-up made headlines before the event started for different reasons. Firstly, Tsitsipas had a practice session with Daniil Medvedev, which generated attention since the two have had some heated battles in the past.
Tsitsipas also took part in the Eisenhower Cup in Indian Wells a few days ago. This is an event played in aid of charity before the Masters event starts, and it serves as good preparation for the players involved.
The Greek player would have been hoping to use that momentum against the Frenchman Pouille, who has had a difficult few years with form and injuries, and that is exactly what Tsitsipas did.
Tsitsipas struck the ball cleanly from the start. The intensity of the hitting was not something Pouille could adjust too, even in the slow Indian Wells conditions, and Tsitsipas broke in the third game.
Last year's Australian Open runner-up was utterly dominating on serve, winning over 90% of his points on first serve in the opening set. He then broke Pouille again to quickly take the first set 6-3.
Pouille did look a little more solid at the start of the second set and held twice in a row. Yet, he was still creating no pressure on Tsitsipas' service games, whose serve and forehand combination was devastating.
Tsitsipas made his move again in the sixth game of the set. More sublime hitting from him meant he broke again and there was only going to be one winner after that.
A fourth break of serve in the match for Tsitsipas sealed a 6-3 6-2 triumph. He finished with an incredible 92% of points won on his first serve. In this form, he could prove dangerous for anyone in the draw.
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