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French Open 2023: Stefanos Tsitsipas too strong for Sebastian Ofner as he books Roland-Garros last eight place
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Published 04/06/2023 at 21:14 GMT+1
Stefanos Tsitsipas booked his place in the last eight of the French Open and set up a blockbuster clash with world no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz after beating Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner in straight sets. After coming through a tough first, the rest of the match was one-way traffic as the Greek showed his possible championship credentials. Stream the 2023 French Open live on discovery+.
Ofner v Tsitsipas - French Open highlights
Video credit: TNT Sports
Stefanos Tsitsipas motored into the quarter-finals of the French Open after a straight sets fourth round win over Sebastian Ofner.
Ofner swept into an early lead, breaking Tsitsipas' serve in the opening game before holding serve to move into a 2-0 lead.
Tsitsipas blasted through his next service game, holding to love, before Ofner hit back with his own perfect game to restore his two-game advantage. The Greek converted his next service before almost breaking the World No. 118 to love.
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'It is so exciting for tennis to have Alcaraz' says Henman
Video credit: TNT Sports
He did break him, but dropped one point in doing it.
The seventh game of the set was a real battle and Ofner had a break point but failed to convert as Tsitsipas held to move into a 4-3 lead. After swapping service games, Tsitsipas led 40-15 in the tenth game of the set, giving him three set points. Showing incredible resolve, Ofner managed to escape the trap and hold serve.
It proved only a delay of the inevitable though, as Tsitsipas held serve before breaking the Austrian again to take the set.
Tsitsipas had flexed his muscles towards the end, but the opening set had been a 51-minute battle.
The World No. 5 looked doubly sharp in the second set, and he won it in half the time. Tsitsipas blitzed Ofner with his serve in the second, dropping just four points in five games. A crucial break in the sixth game meant Tsitsipas was able to serve out the set after just 30 minutes.
The Greek was fully in the ascendancy now, and the fight had gone out of Ofner.
The third set was a procession.
Tsitsipas broke Ofner three times, while converting every one of his own service games to blow the Austrian away. The match which had promised an intriguing battle was over in under two hours.
The dominant display against Ofner earns Tsitsipas a quarterfinal berth against Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz. Should he successfully navigate that challenge, the Greek will likely meet Novak Djokovic in the semifinal.
After the match, Tsitsipas was interviewed on the court and asked about his celebration in which he points to his head.
He explained that credit should go to Swiss veteran Stanislas Wawrinka.
He said: "Stan the Man. ... I owe the copyright to a few players, let's just say that."
“I want to congratulate Sebastian on his run, you know, it has been a lot of matches for him to get to the fourth run,” continued Tsitsipas.
“So physically, I feel like it's never easy. I've had runs like this in the past, so I can relate.
“I feel like any player out here can be a big challenge for me. And, you know, today he tried his best, he put a lot of balls on the court and made it difficult for me. So, I feel like with strong opponents like him, I can get better so that is something I’m learning today.”
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Stream the 2023 French Open live on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com
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