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“Can Get Really Dangerous”: Stefanos Tsitsipas Reveals Challenges of Playing John Isner Following Victory at ATP Acapulco 2021

Published 03/18/2021, 11:40 AM EDT

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Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas shared his thoughts on his marauding win over big-serving American John Isner to reach the quarter-final of the Mexican Open.

The current World Number 5 was in his element as he dominated play from the get-go on Thursday to win 6-3, 6-2.

Tsitsipas will play rising Canadian star and seven-time Tour finalist Felix Auger-Aliassime, who ousted American Sebastian Korda to set up a last-eight date with the Greek.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas says things went well in his win over John Isner at Mexican Open

Speaking to the press after the match, Tsitsipas said “things worked out pretty well” from start to finish.

A piece of statistic that stood out in the pre-quarters clash was that while the Greek converted three of the five breakpoint opportunities that he earned, the American couldn’t bring up a single one of them during match play.

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Understandably pleased with his return game against one of the most feared ace-hitters in contemporary men’s tennis, Tsitsipas said he did well to avoid a tie-break against Isner’s bullet serves.

“You don’t want to get into tie-breaks with this guy (Isner). It can get really dangerous,” said the Greek, tongue firmly in cheek.

Stefanos Tsitsipas says he’ll go into the quarters clash against Felix Auger-Aliassime with the same aggression

The Greek added that he was happy with how he kept his focus and concentration for the entire stretch of the game, especially on big points and in crunch moments.

Tsitsipas said he is happy to have cashed in on all the openings that came his way, calling the win an “important” one which has given him a world of confidence going into the quarter-final.

While the Greek pressed the Isner serve and converted three breakpoints off him, he did not have to save a single one.

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Looking ahead to his quarters clash, he described Auger-Aliassime as a “difficult” opponent.

He added that he would go into the last-eight clash with the same positive approach as he did against Isner on Thursday.

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“Relieved”: Stefanos Tsitsipas Speaks Out After Overtaking Roger Federer in ATP Rankings

Hoping for a “great day tomorrow as well”, Tsitsipas said it’s “important” that he continue his winning run in the tournament.

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Priyabrata Chowdhury

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Priyabrata Chowdhury is a tennis author for EssentiallySports. He has been a print journalist for a decade, producing news pages for leading national dailies such as the Hindustan Times and The New Indian Express. His passion for sports eventually drove him to tennis writing.
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