STEFANOS TSITSIPAS EDGED a final-set tie-break in a classic battle with Dominic Thiem to claim the biggest title of his career and become the first Greek ATP Finals champion.
Tsitsipas and Thiem served up a thriller at the O2 Arena on Sunday and it was the 21-year-old tournament debutant who came out on top, prevailing 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 7-6 (7-4).
It took two hours and 35 minutes to settle an epic match that swung one way and the other, Thiem coming from 4-1 down in the decisive tie-break to get back on serve before Tsitsipas became the youngest winner of the competition since Lleyton Hewitt in 2001.
Tsitsipas struck 34 winners to two-time French Open runner-up Thiem’s 36 in a pulsating, high-quality final, ending the season on a high note in London.
There was evidence of nerves as both players held to love in their first service games and Thiem thwarted the sixth seed when he faced the first break point in the fourth game.
The two warriors were aggressive from the start, unleashing winner after winner off both wings and charging to the net with authority.
Tsitsipas and Thiem saved two break points apiece before the Austrian came out on top in a tie-break, an errant backhand costing the Athens native.
A sprightly Tsitsipas put that behind him by taking a firm grip of the second set, putting away a brilliant forehand winner after toying with Thiem to go a double break up at 3-0.
Tsitsipas was relentless, serving it out after making only one unforced error in a one-sided second set and Thiem disappeared off court to gather himself for the decider.
The momentum was with Tsitsipas, who showed no let-up as he piled huge pressure on Thiem, who saved two break points in the first game of the final set but was up against it at 2-1 down after drilling a backhand into the net.
Thiem was not done yet, drawing on his fighting spirit and class to get back on serve at 3-3 and it seemed almost inevitable another breaker would be required to split the two.
Tsitsipas stormed into a 4-1 advantage and although Thiem refused to accept defeat as he stormed back to level at 4-4, a couple of stray groundstrokes cost him as he was denied in a titanic tussle between the first-time finalists.
- Omni
I love reading stories like this. For all the fantastic players that have come through the schools system, the majority started off life in the club system. It’s a testament to the players, coaches, parents, committees who put in the hard work in keeping these clubs going
Great story. There are large areas of the country that are open to this type of development.
@kieran horgan: Completely agree. When youngsters playing in less traditional areas see those a few years ahead of them feature in provincial and national squads, it will hopefully boost rugby in those areas. Look at Munster and West Cork, in the last number of years alone there’s been the 2 Coombes, 2 Wycherleys, Crowley, Hodnett, Hurley. Plenty of untapped areas to be explored
@Niall Boyle: Farmer strength is a term often used. You know what it means when you’ve played against it be it in Gaelic or Rugby. It would be fertile ground for rugby players if the seeds are planted particularly forwards. It’s also part of what makes NZ rugby
@Michael Corkery: farmer strength is something that applies only in the amatuer arena. Kids from farming backgrounds in NZ( also SA and Aus) who are decent at rugby with a view to the Pro’s, generally head off to boarding school for secondary, unless they’re commutable distance to bigger towns/cities. They develop physically using modern development practices, not shifting bales by hand…
@Sea Point: True, the bales of hay and tractor tyres have been replaced by dumb bells and Creatine.
@Sea Point: rubbish, certain people have natural strength which has been acquired during generations and their youth as they needed to have it for their livelihood. Of course, that alone is a base strength that is built on when they get into a more professional setup be it a private school or academy.
@Niall Boyle: and Mike Ross before them
Great to see, jj returning and possibly 2 good lads getting into the academy will be great for munster and the kingdom.
@Treaty Jim: would love to see Jack Daly get a run without injury disruption also
@Niall Boyle: totally agree.
@Niall Boyle: Doesn’t look great for Jack, ‘last chance saloon’ maybe.
The Blackrock catchment area is pretty large…
Kudos to their scouts, but I thought that there was a Leinster School’s rule about how long a player had to be in a school before playing for their SCT?
@Phil O’ Meara: Kerry is part of cork too. These powerful schools always find a way around these “rules”
@Phil O’ Meara: Would be interesting to know what discussions took place that resulted in O’Sullivan ending up at Blackrock, rather than another Leinster school or a Cork or Limerick school. However I think the rule to which you refer (and stopped Dylan McNeice playing for St Michael’s this year) is to stop Leinster schools poaching from each other. The previous school can give permission for their former pupil to play for his new one. Doesn’t apply in this case where it seems that everyone’s a winner
@Kevin Ryan: Everyone bar Terenure!
Jaysus Whitehouse is a painful ref