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Reuters

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Reuters

Former World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas took on Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev in the semifinal of the Australian Open 2021. They’ve played on six occasions in the past, with Daniil leading the tie on five wins. Their last match was at the ATP Finals 2019, which was the only time the Greek player won. 

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As the match began, Tsitsipas served to a 1-0 lead. In the fifth game of the opening set, Medvedev got the first break of the match and consolidated by holding serve the next game. After 22 minutes in the game, the Russian raced to a 4-2 lead. During the set, Daniil hit five aces past his opponent and registered 14 winners. 

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Stefanos Tsitsipas Smashes Bottle at the Changeover

After sealing the initial set 6-4, the Russian star broke his Greek opponent in the third game of the second set. During the changeover, Stefanos smashed a water bottle on the ground close to the court. Due to that, the ball kids had to wipe the area affected. Tsitsipas did receive a mild verbal warning by the chair umpire. 

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Throwing the bottle was a clear sign of frustration displayed by the Greek athlete. He was unable to keep the ball in play and the number of unforced errors executed by him was more than usual. After 36 minutes into the second set, Medvedev took two sets to lead in the match, winning the second set 6-2. 

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During the second set, Medvedev hit six aces and won 94% of his first-serve points, whereas Tsitsipas won only 48% of his first-serve points. Daniil seemed more focused and registered 14 winners and committed four unforced errors. 

Stefanos spent four hours on court against Nadal in the quarterfinal of the Australian Open 2021 on Wednesday. On the other hand, Daniil beat his Russian counterpart Rublev in straight sets. The winner of this semifinal match will take on Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open 2021 on Sunday. 

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At the 2019 Washington Open, Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios threw a water bottle on the chair on which the match umpire sits and later claimed the bottle slipped out of his hands. It was during his match against a Japanese player Yoshihito Nishioka. The Australian player won the match eventually 6-2 7-5. 

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Also Read: Which Aspect of the Game Makes Daniil Medvedev Unstoppable at Australian Open 2021?

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Rohan Kollare

1,671 Articles

Rohan Kollare is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. Rohan has studied Sports Management and has a trophy cabinet adorned with accolades won in district and state-level tennis competitions. He has previously worked in Content Operations for Disney’s Hotstar for over a year, covering Tennis and Formula One. Rohan's experience as a player gives him the ability to provide incisive analysis of the game rather than a superficial understanding. When not staunchly supporting his idol Roger Federer, Rohan likes to dive into animal welfare work, get lost in a book or listen to some music.

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