Stefanos Tsitsipas' struggles continue: Greek star falls to Bautista Agut at Hopman Cup

Roberto Bautista Agut led Spain to a strong start at the Hopman Cup, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in a highly anticipated match. The former world No. 3 returned to the courts after an injury withdrawal at Wimbledon but was ultimately overcome by the veteran Spanish player.

The win marked the second singles match of the day in Bari. The first match of the Group A tie between Spain and Greece saw Marina Bassols Ribera (world No. 236) comfortably defeat Despina Papamichail (world No. 267), who stepped in for the initially announced Maria Sakkari. The Spanish player secured a decisive 6-0, 6-4 victory, putting Spain ahead.

The most anticipated clash followed, with Bautista Agut facing Tsitsipas. The 37-year-old Spaniard dominated the first set, winning 6-3 in just 28 minutes. However, he couldn't close out the match in straight sets, falling in a tight second-set tie-break 7-6(8-6). The decisive moment came in the third-set tie-break, where Bautista Agut clinched the victory with a final score of 6-3, 6-7(6), [10-8].

With these singles victories, Spain secured the Group A tie. A mixed doubles match featuring the same players was then played to determine the final series score, with Tsitsipas and Papamichail taking the win 6-2, 6-3.

In Group B, the match-up between France and Croatia was nothing short of a nail-biter. French tennis player Richard Gasquet triumphed over Croatia's Duje Ajdukovic in an exciting three-set encounter, decided by a 10-point tie-break with a final score of 7-5, 2-6, 10-6.

Gasquet's victory leveled the playing field after Croatia had initially taken the lead with Donna Vekic's win against Chloe Paquet in the women's singles. The tension was palpable, and all signs pointed to a decisive mixed doubles match. However, in a surprising turn of events, Donna Vekic withdrew from the tournament, handing the point and the overall victory to the French team.