Stefanos Tsitsipas has kept Greece alive in its United Cup quarter-final against the United States, forcing a deciding mixed doubles match with a straight-sets win over world No. 9 Taylor Fritz in Perth on Wednesday.
The former world No. 3 delivered a serving masterclass to claim a 6-4, 7-5 victory, his first win over a Top 10 opponent in more than 18 months, and level the tie at 1-1 after Coco Gauff’s earlier win against Maria Sakkari.
“I was fighting for the team and it was such a great match from my end,” Tsitsipas said. “When you’re 0-1 down, you know exactly the level you have to bring. I felt I owed it to my team.”
Tsitsipas said he had visualised the match in advance and was particularly pleased with his composure under pressure.
The 27-year-old set the tone early, landing 84 per cent of his first serves in the opening set and maintaining control throughout the match. He saved a set point with an ace at 4-5 in the second set before breaking Fritz in the next game to seal the contest, winning 80 per cent of points on his first serve overall.
The victory improved Tsitsipas’ United Cup singles record to 9-2 and marked his first Top 10 win since his run to the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters title, where he defeated Alexander Zverev, Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud.
Greece will now contest the decisive mixed doubles, with Tsitsipas and Sakkari set to face Christian Harrison and Gauff.
Earlier, Gauff gave the United States an early advantage with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Sakkari in one hour and 26 minutes at RAC Arena.