ATP Marseille: Stefanos Tsitsipas eases past Felix Auger-Aliassime to defend title

The last year's ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas didn't make a great start of the new season, winning only three matches and suffering early losses at the Australian Open and Rotterdam. The Greek was hoping for a better run in Marseille where he won the title a year ago, producing his best tennis to topple four rivals in straight sets and repeat what he did here a year ago, lifting his fifth ATP title from the tenth final. Stefanos took down another youngster Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 26 minutes, beating the Canadian for the second time in a row and leaving him on a negative 0-5 score in the ATP finals so far. As always this week, Tsitsipas served well and lost 16 points in ten service games, fending off three out of four break chances in two doubtful service games to mount the pressure on Auger-Aliassime and force him to repeat those numbers if he wanted to stay in contention for the first ATP title.

Felix couldn't produce a similar pace, facing nine break points and giving serve away thrice to finish on the losing side, just like in Rotterdam a week ago against Gael Monfils. Stefanos held with a service winner in the opening game, landing a forehand winner for a hold at love in game three before moving 3-1 up following a forehand error from Auger-Aliassime, delivering the first break of the match. Serving for the set at 5-3, Tsitsipas fended off three break chances with some powerful shotmaking, forcing an error from Felix to secure the opener after 39 minutes.

At 2-2 in set number two, the defending champion seized the fourth break chance with a backhand crosscourt winner, sending a forehand wide in the next game to suffer a break at 15 and keep Auger-Aliassime on the positive side of the scoreboard. It wasn't to be for the Canadian, though, suffering a break at 15 in the very next game following a terrible backhand error and falling 5-3 behind when Stefanos landed three winners in game eight. Auger-Aliassime reduced the deficit to 5-4 with a service winner in game nine but that was all he could do, with Stefanos sealing the deal with a hold at 15 a few minutes later to celebrate the fifth ATP crown and his best tennis so far in 2020.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2T8dueH