Australian Open 2022: 3 things that stood out in Stefanos Tsitsipas' QF win over Jannik Sinner
Fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas cruised into the semifinals of the Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win against Italy's Jannik Sinner on Wednesday. The Greek produced his best performance of the tournament so far to dismantle the young Italian and advance to the semifinals of the Melbourne Slam for the third time in his career.
Fifth Grand Slam semifinal, third Down Under 🙌
@steftsitsipas • #AusOpen • #AO2022 https://t.co/4dWj8cRhCb
Tsitsipas will face either Daniil Medvedev or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last four on Friday.
On that note, here's a look at three factors that contributed to Tsitsipas' win.
#1 Tsitsipas started strongly and never let up
Tsitsipas got off to a flying start, breaking Sinner in the second game of the first set. The early service break set the tone for the rest of the match. Sinner’s first-serve percentage was a paltry 48% in the first set and his second serve was punished by the Greek.
Sinner was broken in the third game of the second and third sets as well, and could not find a way back into the contest.
#2 Tsitsipas was dominant on serve
Tsitsipas served extremely well throughout the match and gave Sinner no openings whatsoever. The Greek’s first-serve percentage hovered around the 70% mark in the first set and crossed 80% in the second. Around 40% of his serves went unreturned in the first two sets.
The Greek served just four aces in the match, but the consistency with which he hit his spots made it impossible for Sinner to make inroads. The Italian failed to create a single breakpoint opportunity in the match, a huge surprise considering the quality of his return.
#3 Tsitsipas played to his strengths
Tsitsipas played the match on his own terms, dictating proceedings with his mighty forehand. Despite misfiring on a few forehands, which contributed to his tally of 28 unforced errors, he never stopped attacking with that shot. The Greek finished the match with 30 winners, with the majority coming off his forehand.
He also rushed to the net often to finish points with smooth volleys. While Sinner hit some magnificent passing shots and generated sharp angles to test Tsitsipas’ court coverage, those moments were few and far between.