World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas took on Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinal of the Mexico Open 2021. After three close-fought sets, it was the Greek player that came out on top and won 7-5 4-6 6-3. The match lasted a little over two hours. It was their fifth meeting and Stefanos now leads the tie 3-2. 

After winning the match, Stefanos Tsitsipas reflected on it and praised his opponent. He felt good to see a player who is disciplined and excels at his work. Breaking or smashing tennis racquets has become quite common amongst players on Tour today and for Felix to not lose his composure today, spoke volumes about his character. 

Stefanos Tsitsipas praises Felix Auger-Aliassime for being disciplined

Lauding Felix’s attitude, the Australian Open semifinalist stated, “It’s important to have players like him that are very disciplined, very good at what they do, very calm on the court as opposed to some players that are ugly losers, let’s call them, and smash rackets and have a bad reputation on the court.”

Earlier this season, the young 20-year-old player performed well at the Australian Open. During the tournament, he beat his fellow countryman Denis Shapovalov before losing in the fourth round to Aslan Karatsev. In his match against the Russian player, he lead the match after claiming the first two sets but ended up losing the following three sets. 

On the other hand, Stefanos had a fruitful run in Melbourne. He beat Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinal after losing the initial two sets. However, he held his nerve and emerged as the eventual winner. It was considered one of the great matches of the tournament. 

Now, after winning his match against Auger-Aliassime, Tsitsipas has booked a spot in the semifinal. He will face the rising Italian youngster Lorenzo Musetti, who beat Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in the previous match. 

Also Read: “Unbelievable Tennis”: Stefanos Tsitsipas Feels ’Blessed to Win’ Against Felix Auger-Aliassime at Mexican Open 2021