via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts during his quarter final match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Spain’s Rafael Nadal reacts during his quarter final match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
It was the night of the quarter-finals at the Australian Open 2021 and World No.2 Rafael Nadal was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas. In a nail-biting encounter, it was Tsitsipas who managed to keep his calm and emerged triumphant.
Although Rafa played really well, Tsitsipas made an incredible comeback and stunned him. The final scoreline of the match read 3-6, 2-6, 7-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Although Rafael Nadal played some great sets, he completely lost his momentum in the third and fourth sets. The third set witnessed a close tie-breaker, but Stefanos Tsitsipas found a way to win.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The first two sets: Rafael Nadal steals the show
Nadal played phenomenally in the first two sets, giving absolutely no chance to Tsitsipas. The Greek player didn’t break for a single time in the first two sets, and one could see Rafa’s dominance.
The World No.2 broke on three occasions in the first two sets and played some brilliant forehand winners. He was serving well and was certainly looking to end the match quickly.
However, what happened at the Australian Open 2021 didn’t just shock Rafa but all the fans as well.
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 17, 2021, Spain’s Rafael Nadal in action during his quarter-final match against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Third and Fourth Set: Stefanos Tsitsipas bounces back
When fans thought that everything was over, Tsitsipas pulled the ace out of his sleeve. Even though he didn’t break in the third set, he didn’t let Rafa break either.
As a result, the match saw a tie-breaker in which Tsitsipas was able to gain momentum. Although Rafa saved two set points there, Tsitsipas managed to win the set on his third set point.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
When the scoreline was leveled at 4-4 in the fourth set, it was a tense situation for both the players. However, Tsitsipas exhibited some great temperament and broke for the first time in the subsequent set. He won the next game too and conquered the set 6-4.
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 17, 2021, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in action during his quarter-final match against Spain’s Rafael Nadal REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Tsitsipas takes away the deciding set
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The set began just like the previous two sets. The one who was serving was winning quite easily. However, in the 11th game of the match, it was Tsitsipas who broke and took the lead.
The Greek player certainly wanted to avoid the tie-breaker and wanted to win before that. Although Rafa saved three match-points, Tsitsipas managed to win the next game, and thus the match. It was really a hell of a comeback from the 22-year-old Tsitsipas.
