Stefanos Tsitsipas suffers shock first-round loss to Daniel Galán at US Open
Cricket South Africa-born Tsitsipas faces a long road back to form
By Phil Edwards
3 November 2016
Stefanos Tsitsipas was on the brink of making it to the last four of the US Open, but the world number two suffered a shock first-round exit in a dramatic display at Arthur Ashe Stadium last night.
Having gone out in three sets to qualifier Daniel Galán, Tsitsipas dropped the first set in four games. The Greek went down in four sets to the Cuban at the fourth and final hurdle that had to be cleared.
The defeat for Tsitsipas came against the run of play, as Galán moved closer to the semi-finals with a 6-4, 7-5 win in the second game of the night, and Tsitsipas had to save his best for the finale. Galán’s second set was also tight, with him winning the tie-break 3-6, 7-6 (4).
It was an afternoon of upsets, with the first being the surprise appearance of Dominic Thiem in the third round at Indian Wells, before the second match was all about another surprise, as Andy Murray upset world number one Novak Djokovic in three sets to stay in the tournament.
However, only two more surprises could be thrown, while the third and fourth matches would be the last chances for the most fancied of the contenders, as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer faced each other in a deciding semi-final.
With the winner set to play the final, the match was a fascinating thriller, with little to separate the two players in terms of experience. Federer has reached the final at this stage of his career two times and Nadal has reached the final twice. However, the last two meetings will be their only encounters.
The first set was all about Nadal, who took it from the opening whistle and then held his own to take an early lead. After the break, the world number one