Murray was tall, but Tsitsipas eventually found the key

At the end of the suspense, Stefanos Tsitsipas got out of the trap set by Andy Murray during the first round of the US Open 2021. Winner in five rounds in a titanic fight (2-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6 -3, 6-4), the Greek got into a big mess by losing the first and third rounds of this match, while calling on the physiotherapist at the end of the third set. Taking advantage of very long breaks between sets to rebuild his health, the 2021 Roland-Garros finalist has passed through the clutches of a Briton overwhelmed by this preferential treatment and can now focus on his next opponent in the second round: Adrian Mannarino.

“Hell, it wasn’t easy. I had to make a lot of sacrifices to be able to defeat my opponent tonight. I believe we fought in an electric atmosphere and frankly we have been waiting for this kind of atmosphere for a long time. The US Open has one of the best audiences on the tour, it’s always a pleasure to play here. “Tsitsipas may hide behind compliments to the Arthur-Ashe audience, the number 3 seed knows she has come very close to premature elimination in New York.

The reason ? His opponent, a certain Andy Murray. Coming to this Grand Slam tournament to play his card to the full, the winner of the 2012 edition put his vis-à-vis in the hard from the start. If Tsitsipas won his first service game, two consecutive breaks at 1-1 then 3-1 allowed Murray to take the bookmakers favorite by the throat and force him to run behind him to score (2-6).

Murray didn’t go the distance

In the second set, the noose tightened and Tsitsipas regained serenity on his throw-in. Still ahead of the score, the Hellene however failed to break Murray and had to fight in a decisive game very committed to finally win thanks to a double fault from the Briton at 7-7 followed by a big first in stride (7-6 (9)).

However, it took a lot more to demoralize a champion of Murray’s caliber. Boosted like never before at the start of the third round, the Scotsman breaks Tsitsipas from the start and will not let go of his lead in this set despite three break points at 3-1. Murray screams his determination and enters into communion with Arthur-Ashe who chooses his darling (3-6). In the hard, Tsitsipas decided to call on the physiotherapist, evoking pain in his ankle. Absent for more than ten minutes from the court, the tennis player collects the first gibes of his opponent who is gradually coming out of his match.

Less comfortable and probably physically worn out, Murray let the fourth set slip by conceding five consecutive games but rebelled to win three games in a row and put pressure on Tsitsipas when it came time to conclude. With a necessary dose of coolness, the giant concluded with his faceoff (6-3) and offered a fifth set to a court in full contemplation of this fight between a phoenix rising from its ashes and a champion in the making .

The final word will be for the second named, lively enough to break the entry of the fifth round and manage his lead with lucidity after 4:49 of fierce struggle (6-4). “My next match against Mannarino? I hope to have the same quality of play as today.“Tsitsipas explained after the meeting. If so, the Frenchman will have a lot to worry about.