Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 8) defeated
Alex De Minaur (No.11) by 6-1, 6-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the
Rome Open. Tsitsipas is among the last 8 of the tournament for the fourth consecutive time and the fifth time in his career, and he will now seek to reach the semifinals against
Nicolas Jarry.
The Greek tennis player showcased a high-level performance and practically didn't allow his opponent to play, securing a comfortable victory in just one hour of play. The differences were evident from the beginning of the match, as Tsitsipas quickly took a 3-0 lead without giving the Australian any room for discussion.
De Minaur managed to hold his serve once to love, but he couldn't do much more in the set. With the score at 4-1 in favor of Tsitsipas, the Greek seized a new break opportunity and then comfortably sealed the set in his favor with a 6-1 scoreline in just 27 minutes.
Tsitsipas was almost untouchable, winning 93% of points with his first serve and 75% with his second. He conceded just two points on his serve, while points on De Minaur's serve were evenly split at 50% each. Additionally, the Greek hit 8 winners and committed only two unforced errors in an almost flawless set.
The second set seemed like it could bring more balance after De Minaur held his first service game, but Tsitsipas didn't slow down and maintained his focus to claim the next four games consecutively. Although De Minaur managed to recover one of the breaks, it ended up being somewhat inconsequential.
Tsitsipas broke again to take a 5-2 lead and ultimately closed out the match comfortably with a 6-1, 6-2 scoreline, positioning himself strongly for the title. In the quarterfinals, he will face Nicolas Jarry (No. 23), who defeated the Frenchman Alexandre Müller in straight sets. The head-to-head record favors the Chilean at 3-2, although their only clay court encounter ended in a victory for Tsitsipas.