Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame his previous US Open demons by defeating Milos Raonic in a straight-sets victory.
Tsitsipas had suffered a shocking loss last year on Louis Armstrong stadium, but this time he emerged victorious.
Despite Raonic's impressive record against Tsitsipas, including a 2-0 lead in their head-to-head matches, Tsitsipas showed great confidence and dominated the match. With the help of interim coach Mark Philippoussis, Tsitsipas secured a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 win, limiting Raonic to just eight aces and forcing him to make numerous unforced errors. This victory marks a much-needed boost for Tsitsipas after a string of disappointing results in recent tournaments.
“It was fun to play high quality tennis against a champion like Milos,” Tsitsipas said on court after the match. “He’s dealing with a comeback and I knew he had nothing to lose. I had to bring my A game from the very first point. I made it physical and it worked.”
Tsitsipas, who has twice reached the third round at Flushing Meadows but never reached the second week, next faces the winner of Dominic Stricker and Alexei Popyrin.
