US Open Day 1 Takeaways: Rune’s tantrum, Gauff’s comeback, Djokovic reclaims throne
By Marvin Azrak
Stefanos Tsitsipas exercises first-round demons
Last year, it was like Stefanos Tsitsipas walked into a tennis-themed haunted house. Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan went all Hulk on him, winning the first 11 games of their match en route to a triumphant first-round upset.
Stefanos Tsitsipas probably walked off that court looking like he’d seen a ghost.
Yet this year, it was a different story. Tsitsipas came back into Louis Armstrong stadium against Canadian powerhouse Milos Raonic and conquered the demons with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 win. Tsitsipas has a history of reaching the third round at Flushing Meadows but has never made it further.
This is somewhat surprising as Tsitsipas has the kind of serve and moves well enough to be a danger on hard courts. But he also appears to be inconsistent in big moments. Winning a US Open is definitely something he is capable of, however.
Tsitsipas played it tidy, hitting 25 winners to 20 unforced errors. Meanwhile, Raonic was throwing unforced errors like they were confetti at a parade – 48 of them, to be exact. Milos Raonic’s defeat capped a forgettable day for Canadians, as 15th-ranked Felix Auger-Aliassime was upset by American Mackenzie McDonald 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.