Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece gave Filipino fans a dazzling show of world-class tennis as he overwhelmed the Philippines AJ Lim, 6-2, 6-1, yesterday to gain the early upper hand in their Davis Cup World Group II playoff tie at the Philippine Columbian Association’s Plaza Dilao courts in Paco, Manila.
Tsitsipas’ younger brother Petros was equally impressive as he mauled the host country’s top bet Jeson Patrombon, 6-2, 6-1, to give the Greeks a 2-0 and pushed them on the cusp of sealing the victory.
But the Filipinos will try to extend the tie a bit longer as Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales shoot for a win against Petros Tsitsipas and Markos Kalovelonis in today’s doubles.
The reverse singles pitting Stefanos and Patrombon and Petros and Lim are also set today.
The 6-4 Tsitsipas, ranked No. 6 in the Association of Tennis Professionals rankings, towered above the 5-7 Lim, whom he pummeled with an array of shots—from crisp backhands to powerful volleys—to carve out the win that lasted 53 minutes.
Tsitsipas showed the same form that had gotten him a runner-up finish to Novak Djokovic in the Dubai Championship less than a week ago and made life difficult for Lim, the country’s No. 2 netter.
Stefanos TsitsipasIt gave the heavily favored Greeks a 1-0 lead while avenging an almost long-forgotten defeat by the 21-year-old Tsitsipas to the 20-year-old Lim in a doubles showdown in their junior days years back.
And what’s more impressive was Tsitsipas’ admission after the game that he struggled adjusting to surface of the court as well as the heat.
“I had a difficult time adjusting to the court it felt like a sauna here, but I still found ways to adjust,” said Tsitsipas.
Lim, for his part, was just star-struck by how Tsitsipas played.
“Unreal,” said Lim on Tsitsipas.
