(Paris) Stefanos Tsitsipas, 9e world, was seriously manhandled Sunday by the Italian Matteo Arnaldi (35e), but the 2021 finalist ended up winning 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros.
“I had to get off my ass,” Tsitsipas said in French in front of the audience at the Suzanne-Lenglen court.
“There was quality in my shots, but he didn’t give up. He pushed me to my limits and I can say that he is one of the most difficult opponents I have faced this season on clay,” he continued.
The 25-year-old Greek, winner this year of his third Monte-Carlo, will face Carlos Alcaraz (3e) to try to reach the final square of the Major on clay.
Facing Arnaldi, winner at 3e Andrey Rublev’s turn (6e), Tsitsipas was taken by surprise and conceded the first set.
“I was very frustrated because I was trying my best, but I couldn’t do it. Fortunately, my fighting spirit made the difference,” Tsitsipas analyzed.
The standoff took place in the second set which lasted 76 minutes: trailing 5-3, Tsitsipas managed to regain the break when Arnaldi served at 5-4 for the set. By winning the tiebreaker, he broke the dam: Arnaldi continued to fight, but without managing to prevent his opponent from piling up the games until victory.
“When I took his serve at 5-4 in the second set, I felt that there, with the public, we could achieve something,” underlined Tsistipas.
The joy he let explode on the court once he won the match point spoke volumes about the challenge he had just taken on.