Tsitsipas backs up huge win over Federer by defeating Bautista Agut

Whenever a young champion in the making steps into the limelight by toppling one of the great players in the game, they know that the public and their peers will be asking for more. They realize that it is a daunting task to create a major upset at a Grand Slam tournament, put that triumph behind them, confront a different opponent and avoid a letdown. They recognize there is no time to rest on your laurels. They want to prove to themselves—as well as the tennis community at large—that they can move on to new challenges and succeed on their own terms.

Stefanos Tsitsipas did precisely that in reaching his first semifinal at a major by ousting the industrious and unflagging Robert Bautista Agut 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) at the Australian Open. Having just eclipsed Roger Federer two days earlier for the biggest win of his career—rallying from a set down, saving four set points in the second set, casting aside all 12 break points he faced in the match and eventually overcoming the Swiss in four sets—Tsitsipas could have been forgiven if he had lost to a player of Bautista Agut’s caliber. That often happens to the upset makers. When Federer beat seven-time champion Pete Sampras in the round of 16 at the 2001 Wimbledon in five gripping sets, he understandably could not find the same form when he met Tin Henman of Great Britain in the quarterfinals. The Swiss bowed out in four sets.

But Tsitsipas did not meet the same fate. His shotmaking was not as scintillating as it had been against Federer. Rather than playing under the evening Melbourne sky in comfortable conditions, he took on Bautista Agut under a scorching daytime sun that left both competitors debilitated and seeking the shade as often as they could between points. Tsitsipas could easily have lost both the first and third sets. He was often fighting himself as well as his adversary, bemoaning the way he was playing, looking to his corner for help in finding the right recipe to defeat a wily campaigner in Bautista Agut. The Spaniard was hitting through the court better than he was, largely controlling the tempo of the contest with his underrated flat forehand, and keeping Tsitsipas at bay with his match playing acumen for much of the first three sets.

That No. 14 seed Tsitsipas found a way to win on an oppressive afternoon against such an experienced opponent was a testament to the growing command of his craft, his adaptability, and, above all, the depth of his determination and the size of his heart. He wanted this win wholeheartedly. In the end, he achieved it by fighting from behind numerous times and eventually wearing down the No. 22 seed. Bautista Agut had endured no fewer than three five-set clashes in this tournament, including a bruising encounter in the previous round against 2018 finalist Marin Cilic.

WATCH—Tsitsipas beats Bautista Agust to reach Australian Open semifinals:

Clearly, the 30-year-old was going to be hard pressed to survive another long and strenuous match. Tsitsipas knew full well that he might have an edge in a drawn-out battle because he was fresher. Despite four consecutive victories all carved out in four sets, he was in relatively good shape. Moreover, he is 10 years younger. But the fact remained that both men were extraordinarily driven to be the victor in this showdown. In only the seventh major tournament of his young career, Tsitsipas was appearing in his first quarterfinal. Bautista was playing the 25th major of his career. Nine times he had gone to the round of 16, but never beyond. These were circumstances that motivated both men immensely.

Remarkably, Tsitsipas lost his serve in the opening game of the match when he missed an overhead on break point. He had not been broken once by the mighty Federer. Bautista built a 4-2 lead after holding at love in the sixth game. But Tsitsipas, so listless until this stage, suddenly found another gear in his game. He held on in the seventh game and then broke Bautista Agut, displaying excellent feel on a lob that got him back into the point. Surprised by that play, Bautista Agut uncharacteristically missed an easy forehand that was born of indecision.

Back to 4-4, Tsitisipas won a deuce game on his serve for 5-4, employing his excellent wide slice serve in the deuce court to open up an avenue for a forehand winner. Bautista battled back gamely to 5-5, but Tsitsipas served two aces in a love hold for 6-5. With the wily Spaniard serving to stay in the set, he saved one set point but, at 30-40, Tsitisipas approached on a forehand down the line to elicit an errant backhand pass.

Set to Tsitsipas, 7-5. From 2-4 down, he had won five of six games, no longer allowing Bautista Agut to dictate, showing off his own versatility in the process. Bautista Agut seemed somewhat fatigued already, and he was surely deflated that a set that was within his grasp slipped away elusively. But he was resurgent in the second set, breaking serve for 2-1, anticipating a backhand drop shot from Tsitsipas and easily hitting a winner in response. All through that set, Bautista Agut located his serve precisely and backed it up with a barrage of forehands that kept Tsitisipas on his heels and out of sorts. In five service games, he dropped only four points. The Spaniard secured the set, 6-4.

Back to one set all, Bautista Agut seemed revitalized. In the fifth game he got the first break of the third set, blasting away unrelentingly off the forehand, finishing off that point with an inside out winner off that sterling side. He held at 15 for 4-2. Tsitsipas was much too passive in this stretch, and was getting outhit predominantly from the baseline. Moreover, he was wilting in the heat. Serving in the seventh game of that third set, trailing 2-4, 30-30, Tsitsipas was unmistakably fatigued. But an excellent wide serve in the deuce court followed by a body serve to the backhand in the ad court provoked return errors from Bautista Agut.

That was a crucial hold for the Greek competitor. Now he put on his strategic cap. With Bautista Agut serving at break point down in the eighth game, Tsitsipas went with a short angled backhand slice, drawing Bautista Agut in. Tsitsipas passed him cleanly off the forehand to reach 4-4. After Tsitsipas held on in the ninth game, Tsitsipas would not let go as Bautista Agut served to stay in the set. There were three deuces, but ultimately Tsitsipas was unstoppable, gaining the break by chasing down an inside out forehand drop shot from Bautista Agut and clipping the line with a backhand winner up the line.

Tsitsipas had come out of a precarious corner, winning four games in a row to take a two-sets-to-one lead. Both players were essentially spent now, but Tsitsipas was the slightly sprightlier competitor. The two players could not go all out from the baseline any longer, conserving energy, waiting for openings. They barely tested each other on serve. Up until 6-5 in the fourth set, Bautista Agut had won 20-of-23 points on serve while Tsitsipas had won 24 of 27 on his delivery.

But when Bautista Agut served to stay in the match, he double faulted at 30-30 to hand his adversary a match point. The Spaniard met that moment admirably, winning a 21-stroke exchange with a forehand inside in winner. He held on to force a tie-break. Tsitsipas was serving with a 3-0 lead, but missed two first serves in a row and lost both points. Yet he never looked back from that brief lapse, uncorking two outright winners, followed by a pair of unanswerable first serves. Tsitsipas prevailed seven points to two in the breaker, and came away with a four-set win in his first career head-to-head appointment against Bautista Agut.

True to his customary way of conducting business, Tsitsipas was unflappable when dealing with difficulties. As was the case against Federer, he had issues with going over the time limit on his serve. As he left the court for a bathroom break, he received a warning for coaching. But at those stressful times, he was implacable, refusing to reveal what he might have been feeling. Tsitsipas competed like a veteran, and established himself as the youngest man to make the Australian Open semifinals since Andy Roddick in 2003.

He has had a string of tough matches on his way to the penultimate round of the first major of 2019. But it is hard to imagine Stefanos Tsitsipas not giving an honorable effort in the semifinals. He is making history in a hurry, gaining experience day by day, and beginning to realize that this could be a phenomenal year for him. Win or lose in the next round, this Australian Open has been a showcase for Tsitsipas, and he has triumphed in a much larger sense over the course of the fortnight.

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