Stefanos Tsitsipas wins finals at ATP 500-level tournaments by winning his first title almost a year ago, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, at the Dubai Championships.
Tsitsipas, the fourth seed, displayed resilience and strategic mastery, particularly from the baseline, where he dominated the match without losing his serve. Despite facing break points in each set, he successfully held his ground and made crucial breaks in the seventh and ninth games of the first and eighth game of the second set to seal his victory.
Reflecting on his win, Tsitsipas expressed relief and satisfaction at finally capturing the Dubai trophy after two previous losses to tennis greats Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the finals. “It’s a big relief that I’m able to hold that trophy after the third attempt,” Tsitsipas commented, emphasizing the mental and physical effort required to overcome this hurdle.
Unseeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, despite his strong start to the season with wins in Adelaide and Montpellier, could not overcome Tsitsipas’s commanding performance. Tsitsipas acknowledged the quality of his opponent, stating, “I had a great opponent on the other side of the net, I knew it was a difficult task.”
This victory will boost Tsitsipas’s ATP ranking from 11th to 9th. The Greek tennis star highlighted the significance of returning to the top 10, reflecting on the hard work and sacrifices involved in reaching and maintaining such a high level in professional tennis.
