Stefanos Tsitsipas survives clash with Bonzi in Halle

Stefanos Tsitsipas played another shaky match on grass and it came against Benjamin Bonzi in Halle with the Greek winning 7-6(1) 1-6 6-3.

The opening set featured some early pressure from Tsitsipas that Bonzi handled well. The French player served exceptionally well and played superbly aggressive tennis doing a lot of damage with his forehand. Tsitsipas's backhand was a common target with the Greek still struggling to find a good solution.

We quickly reached the tiebreak where Bonzi completely fell apart handing it over to Stefanos 1-7. It was an aggravating thing for him but he largely failed to hit his first serve in it so it's explainable. The 2nd set featured rather poor serving by both players but Bonzi was much more sturdy from the baseline.

Tsitsipas struggled a lot from the baseline completely missing his timing on most shots. After jumping out to an early 3-0 lead, Bonzi continued playing aggressive tennis and his opponent could not deal with it. In the end, Bonzi raced to a 6-1 2nd set finish.

The final set featured more improved play by both but it was Tsitsipas was better in crucial rallies. He saved both break points he faced while converting his break chances to jump out to an early lead. From there it was a simple task of keeping his serve and closing it out with 6-3. A good win against a tricky opponent from Tsitsipas who needs more matches on grass.