Stefanos Tsitsipas was one Alexander Zverev-lite. Both players were trying not to become the best players of their generation to never win a major. Zverev crossed his name off that dreadful list by winning the French Open. Tsitsipas has seemed nowhere near that level for two years.
Still, he has been making a few more inroads at tournaments in 2026, and he could make a breakthrough at the Cincinnati Open. That would help his confidence that maybe he could challenge for the upcoming US Open title. He just needs to take it one point at a time and one match at a time.
In the first round in Cincy, Tsitsipas played Valentin Royer, who tried to put up a fight, but Tsitsipas was simply the better player. This hasn't always been the case for the Greek since 2024, so that he is doing so now might give an indication of the changes he is slowly trying to make.
Stefanos Tsitsipas defeats Valentin Royer in the first round of the Cincinnati Open
One of the biggest concerns Tsitsipas has had is his mercurial backhand. He often tries to do too much with it, especially on returns of serve. He often swings too hard at times instead of just chipping the ball back in hopes of keeping the point alive.
In the opening set, though, it was Royer who wasn't able to get much done. At one point, Tsitsipas had seven winners, including one from his backhand, and Royer had none. That the set was even close was astonishing. The Greek had a chance to set the tone after getting a break to get to 3-2, but he was broken in the next game.
It took a tie-break to decide the set, but the Greek took control of that early and won it 7-4.
In the second set, Tsitsipas got a break at 3-2, and then held in a tight game to get to 5-2. The outcome seemed certain at that point, and Valentin Royer knew he was likely to be headed home soon.
The Frenchman wasn't ready to give up, though, and pushed Tsitsipas with the Greek serving at 5-3, helped by the Greek hitting a backhand long on match point to force deuce. Royer would earn the break to get to 4-5 and on serve. Tsitsipas had let two match points go by, and he might have started to wonder if he was letting the match get away.
He wasn't. After Royer got to 5-all, Tsitsipas held and then got a break. He finished the match in straight sets by taking set two 7-5.
Next for Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round of the Cincinnati Open will be Felix Auger-Aliassime. If the Greek plays his best, he can steal the match. If that happens, his path to at least the fourth round is achievable.
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