Tsitsipas cherishing autumn in Paris

Until Stefanos Tsitsipas came along, a Greek man hadn’t reached the fourth round at Roland-Garros since 1936.

After today, the archipelago can boast a player that has achieved the feat in successive seasons, as Tsitsipas rolled past Slovenia’s Aljaz Bedene in an abbreviated contest, 6-1, 6-2, 3-1(ret.).

Since falling behind Spain’s Jaume Munar by two sets in first-round action on Tuesday, the Greek No.5 seed has reeled off eight completed sets in succession to make his return to the second week at a major for the first time since last year in Paris. 

He was ruthless and efficient on Saturday as he powered past a hobbled Bedene behind 28 winners against just 11 unforced errors, to set up a fourth-round clash with No.18 seed Grigor Dimitrov.

World No.56 Bedene, who had his right ankle heavily taped in the second set after a medical consultation, was forced to retire without finishing the match.

Tabbed by many a pundit as a future world No.1 and Grand Slam winner, Tsitsipas has suffered his share of Grand Slam heartbreak in the past year, and it all started with his fourth-round defeat at the hands of Stan Wawrinka on Court Suzanne-Lenglen in 2019. 

Tsitsipas left that match in tears, wondering what might have been. Today the Greek was pleased as he contemplated the possibility of a deep run Roland-Garros in 2020. 

“It's something that I cherish and appreciate,” he said. “Being able to compete in a second week gives me a lot of confidence. It feels great. I've been putting a lot of hard work in every single match, trying to raise my level, play up to my expectations. I'm very glad that I am where I am today.”

Jim Courier, a two-time Roland-Garros champion in 1991 and 1992, remembers Tsitsipas’ instant classic with Wawrinka well. Despite that setback, Courier is one of the many experts predicting big things for the 22-year-old. 

“His match last year with Wawrinka was absolutely smashing at Roland-Garros out on Suzanne-Lenglen,” he told rolandgarros.com. “That was another close match that he lost. He's lost some tight ones in the majors. I would encourage him to think about how much upside he has, keep going with his passion. He's a great personality for our sport. He's going to do well. He's going to win majors.”

Tsitsipas’ last four Grand Slam appearances have experienced more turbulence than a red-eye through a winter squall, but the Greek’s game has been progressing all the while. In Grand Slam tennis, results don’t necessarily sync up with the evolution of the player. 

A cluster of disappointing Grand Slam results might look disastrous on paper, but in reality they could serve to force a player to dig deeper and extract certain critical elements that could, in the end, take them higher. 

It has felt like a long time since Tsitsipas first broke through on the Grand Slam scene with a victory over Roger Federer and a semi-final appearance at the 2019 Australian Open.

In reality, not much time has passed. The promise of Tsitsipas and his streamlined game is still there, and a golden opportunity for a Paris breakthrough is waiting for him on Monday.