Stefanos Tsitsipas wins ATP Finals 2019: Report, stats and records
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece created history as he won his maiden ATP Finals, by defeating Dominic Thiem of Austria 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) in over two hours at The O2 Arena in London on Sunday. In the process, he became the 24th man to win the singles title, and the first Greek to do so. Here is the match report, stats, and records.
How did the match pan out?
As for the match, it started on an intense note, with both men saving numerous break points to take the opening set to the tie-break, where Thiem prevailed. And then the second set saw Tsitsipas up his ante, as he broke twice to fire a warning at Thiem. The final set saw both going all out, as Tsitsipas showed great composure.
Tsitsipas surprised by his performance in the second set
Following the win, Tsitsipas expressed his surprise at the magical performance in the second set, which he won 6-2. He said that not pondering over the opening set was the key to the comeback. "I didn't give him many options to play within the second set. It was pretty much an excellent set for me," he said after the match.
I am so relieved by this outstanding performance: Tsitsipas
"It was pretty frustrating for me to be playing with such nerves for the first time in such a big event. I was a break up. Things were decided in the tie-break and I am so relieved by this outstanding performance," added Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas slams nine aces in the match
Here are a few important stats from the match: It was a show of the aces, as Tsitsipas fired nine aces, while Thiem followed it up with eight. Tsitsipas was lethal during the first serve, having won 83% of his points, as compared to Thiem's 71%. While Thiem managed to win just a break point out of four, Tsitsipas won three out of 10.
Tsitsipas becomes the champ in style
Records scripted during the final
Tsitsipas is the first Greek to win the title. He also became the first man to win the Next Gen ATP Finals and follow it up the ATP Finals. This was the fourth straight year when a first-time finalist has been crowned the champion. Tsitsipas is the first player since David Nalbandian (2005) to win from an opening set loss.
