Finalist Tears

By career and intention, Stefanos Tsitsipas already deserved to play a Grand Slam final and this Friday he managed to reach the first of his career at Roland Garros. The 22-year-old Greek defeated by 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6 and 6-3 in 3:37 to the German Alexander Zverev (24), who last year brushed against the glory of victory at the US Open, but fell to Dominic Thiem (27). Three players with parallel lives, who were progressively called upon to be the successors to the Big Three of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. Tsitsipas had lost three major semi-finals to three great rivals: Australia 2019 against Nadal and 2021 against Medvedev, and Roland Garros 2020 against Djokovic. On Sunday he will seek his first title against one of them, the Spanish or the Serbian.

Stefanos is the youngest finalist in Paris since Rafa in 2008, who was at 22 years and five days, and Grand Slams in general since Andy Murray at the 2010 Australian Open when the Brit was 22 and 261.

The audience of the Philippe Chatrier attended a NextGen semi-final, the youngest in combined age in a major since Murray (22) and Marin Cilic (21) played at the Australian Open in 2010. The Athenian was a favorite because he is the season’s leader in wins on gravel (22-3) and on the all-surface count. (39-8). But it was not easy for him to defeat Zverev, even though he clearly outplayed him in the first two sets. And it is that when he best had it to win on the fast track, his unforced errors increased in a worrying way and the third set escaped him in a bad third game by conceding the second break of the game against him. The Teuton’s serve, who was outraged by the chair umpire for a ball that sang inside and he saw outside, worked in that reaction phase and his reaction continued in the fourth quarter with an exit break that he knew how to consolidate. Sascha was moving fast, good; Tsitsipas getting worse. So the one from Hamburg began to believe it because, in addition, he had already come back from 0-2 before, in the US Open 2020 against Pablo Carreño.

Emotions

And the fifth and final set was reached. Hellenic raised a 0-40 in the first game. Critical moment and turning point. He got into the game with blows and screams. He broke to go 3-1 and serve. He consolidated the lead and no longer allowed Zverev to recover. His father and coach, Apostolos, who sometimes has strong arguments with him, got excited in the stands. His son cried before whispering: “I come from humble roots, from a small place. My dream was to play here and I couldn’t imagine … “. He had succeeded.

Results, table and calendar.

Alexander Zverev
vs
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Sets:

Percentage 1st service

inside / totals
15/22
68%
inside / totals
24/32
75%
Points earned from the rest

inside / totals
10/32
31%
inside / totals
8/22
36%
Converted break points

inside / totals
0/0
0%
inside / totals
1/2
fifty%
Aces



3


1
Double fouls



3


1
Unforced errors



16


fifteen
Percentage 1st service

inside / totals
26/34
76%
inside / totals
19/23
82%
Points earned from the rest

inside / totals
9/23
39%
inside / totals
17/34
fifty%
Converted break points

inside / totals
1/1
100%
inside / totals
3/6
fifty%
Aces



two


0
Double fouls



1


0
Unforced errors



twenty-one


fifteen
Percentage 1st service

inside / totals
27/31
87%
inside / totals
25/29
86%
Points earned from the rest

inside / totals
10/29
3. 4%
inside / totals
9/31
29%
Converted break points

inside / totals
1/1
100%
inside / totals
0/1
0%
Aces



two


3
Double fouls



0


0
Unforced errors



13


13
Percentage 1st service

inside / totals
21/24
87%
inside / totals
25/27
92%
Points earned from the rest

inside / totals
9/27
33%
inside / totals
4/24
16%
Converted break points

inside / totals
1/1
100%
inside / totals
0/0
0%
Aces



1


1
Double fouls



0


1
Unforced errors



7


13
Percentage 1st service

inside / totals
24/31
77%
inside / totals
22/28
78%
Points earned from the rest

inside / totals
7/28
25%
inside / totals
13/31
41%
Converted break points

inside / totals
0/3
0%
inside / totals
1/5
twenty%
Aces



4


3
Double fouls



3


1
Unforced errors



18


9
Percentage 1st service

inside / totals
113/142
79%
inside / totals
115/139
82%
Points earned from the rest

inside / totals
45/139
32%
inside / totals
51/142
35%
Converted break points

inside / totals
3/6
fifty%
inside / totals
5/14
35%
Aces



12


8
Double fouls



7


3
Unforced errors



75


65

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