Stefanos Tsitsipas served up a sweet taste of revenge on Friday, defeating Japan’s Kei Nishikori in straight sets to advance to the third round of the Shanghai Masters. This victory marked a significant turnaround for Tsitsipas, who had suffered a shocking defeat to Nishikori in Montreal just a few months prior.
The Greek star, who was once ranked third in the world, has seen his ranking slip to 12th in recent months, following a tumultuous period that included a public criticism of his father as coach and their subsequent split. The August loss to Nishikori, then ranked 576th, was a particularly stinging blow.
However, Tsitsipas displayed a renewed sense of determination in Shanghai, battling through two tight sets to secure a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win. “I’m glad of the win,” Tsitsipas said on court, emphasizing his “great fighting spirit” towards the end. He acknowledged the challenge, stating, “I’m pleased I managed to overcome the obstacle of Kei”.
The first set went down to the wire, culminating in a nail-biting tiebreaker that could have swung either way. “Being able to win (the tiebreaker), coming back and helping me win the first set was an important and critical moment,” Tsitsipas told reporters after the match. “Overcoming it was good, because it felt like I was able to restart now with a new mindset and it helped me get a bit of confidence.”
The second set saw Nishikori, a former world number four plagued by injury in recent years, take a medical timeout. Despite encouragement from the crowd, he couldn’t regain his momentum, and Tsitsipas closed out the match by winning four of the last five games.
The victory marks a promising step for Tsitsipas as he seeks to regain his former form and climb back up the rankings. His performance in Shanghai suggests he is finding his stride once again, delivering a strong statement of his resilience and determination.
In other matches earlier in the day, American players Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul also secured spots in the third round. Shelton defeated Canada’s Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 7-5, while Paul took down Italy’s Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-3. Veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils fought off a challenge from his compatriot Ugo Humbert, winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, to set up a compelling matchup in the next round.
