ATP Cup 2022 results today: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Diego Schwartzman scores, winner and recap
Diego Schwartzman staged a fine comeback at the ATP Cup today to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets. Schwartzman's win helped Argentina get a crucial point in their bid to make the semifinals of the competition.
With Federico Delbonis defeating Michail Pervolarakis in straight sets earlier, Stefanos Tsitsipas needed to win in order to keep Greece's chances alive. The World No. 4 started strongly too, and won the first set in a tiebreak.
But Schwartzman produced some sensational tennis in the next two sets to bounce back and clinch his second win in three meetings against Tsitsipas. This was the first match between the two that was decided in three sets.
Diego Schwartzman vs Stefanos Tsitsipas score: Schwartzman wins 6-7, 6-3, 6-3
Schwartzman stands tall 🇦🇷🙌
@dieschwartzman fights back from a set down to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3 to win the tie for #TeamArgentina.
#ATPCup https://t.co/23rdOutdUR
Both players held serve easily in the early going, before Tsitsipas came very close to breaking during the 12th game of the first set. However, Schwartzman fought hard and saved three set points before winning the game with a strong down-the-line backhand winner to take the set to a tiebreaker.
Both players got a couple of minibreaks but Tsitsipas eventually went 6-4 up to get two set points. The Greek eventually edged the tiebreak 7-5 to take the first set.
In the second set, the two players broke each other's serve in the opening two games. The contest looked just as evenly-poised as the first set until the eighth game, which is when Schwartzman got a crucial break to go 5-3 up. He then held at love to take the second set and level the match.
The Argentine gained momentum from there and started the third set by breaking Tsitsipas in the opening game. There were no further breaks until Schwartzman took a 5-3 lead heading into the ninth game.
The 29-year-old then broke Tsitsipas again to seal victory for Argentina, making the doubles fixture a mere formality.
Tsitsipas' defeat means that Greece are eliminated from the ATP Cup. They have nothing to play for but pride when they take on Georgia on Wednesday.
For Argentina, their match against Poland is a virtual quarterfinal as the winner will advance to the semifinal. Diego Schwartzman will take on Hubert Hurkacz in what promises to be an exciting contest.
The two have met each other twice previously, with both encounters coming in 2020. In fact, their first meeting came at the ATP Cup, where Hurkacz came back from a set down to beat Schwartzman.
The Argentine later avenged that defeat, at the 2020 Rome Masters.