Greek 19-year-old Next Gen star Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Thomas Fabbiano 6-2 6-1 6-4 to become the first player from Greece to reach the fourth round at Grand Slam level.
Tsitsipas had previously beaten qualifier Gregoire Barrere in the first round and Jared Donaldson in the second round.
The Greek teenager won three qualifying round matches to reach the main draw on his debut at Wimbledon. In his first appearance at Church Road Tsitsipas lost to Dusan Lajovic in the opening round.
In the other three Grand Slam tournaments Tsitsipas lost in the French Open first round last year but reached the second round at this tournament this year and did not advance from the first round at the Australian Open.
Tsitsipas, who has reached a career-high of world number 35, set up a fourth round match against US John Isner, who beat Moldavia’s Radu Albot.
“It’s an amazing feeling, and I feel very proud that I represent Greece and that all of my hard work has paid off. There is much satisfaction. It’s such a nice feeling to be the first from my country to do so. It’s amazing. I just need to be grounded. My goals are far away from what I have set for this year, and I just need to stay grounded and keep on doing the work I have been doing all this year ”, said Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas hails from a tennis family. He is coached by his father Apostolos Tsitsipas. His Russian mother is former professional tennis player Yuliya Salnikova Tsitsipas. His grandfather Sergei Salnikov was a former Soviet football player and manager.
Tsitsipas lost in the quarter final to Dominic Thiem last January in Doha and reached the final in Barcelona without dropping a set. In the title match he lost to Rafael Nadal. In Estoril he lost to Kevin Anderson before losing to eventual champion Joao Sousa in the semifinals.
His next opponent John Isner praised Tsipsipas ahead of their head-to-head match.
“He is a big kid, very athletic. I saw some highlights of him diving on the grass. He has got a lot of talent, a lot of talent, a good serve, moves well for his serve. He has a good forehand and a good backhand”, said Tsitsipas.
