Halle Open: Stefanos Tsitsipas sets Nick Kyrgios Showdown In Halle

Stefanos Tsitsipas started strong and dominated the opening tie-break in the first round of the Halle Open against his 23-year-old French opponent. The Greeks put forth a brilliant display of quality tennis at several key moments. He dropped the serve three times in the second set but pulled a reversal in the third set to deny Benjamin Bonzi the fourth consecutive service break. 

Stefanos Tsitsipas regained his footing in the final set and used three consecutive love holds to secure a second-round spot. The Greek converted two of his four break chances, fired seven aces, and saved seven of ten breakpoints in the match.

In a post-match interview, Stefanos Tsitsipas said, "He made it challenging. It wasn't easy. I had to bring some good tennis at the end, and I did. Everything was extremely close. I was trying to find a little gap, those small opportunities somewhere afloat. “

He added, "It is one of those matches where I said to myself, go out and enjoy it. It was very spontaneous and very free-spirited. That is the right way to put it. It brought something different out there today.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas marked his second win on a grass court for the season with the victory. He will next face Nick Kyrgios of Australia in round two of the Halle Open on June 15.

Both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios previously lost to Andy Murray in the Stuttgart Open.

Nick Kyrgios beats Daniel Altmaier in the first round

Wildcard Nick Kyrgios defeated Daniel Altmaier of Germany 6-3, 7-5 in the opening round of the Halle Open at Gerry Weber Stadion to secure a straight-sets victory.

Nick Kyrgios did not face a breakpoint throughout the match and defeated Daniel Altmaier comfortably. The victory improved his record on the grass court for the ongoing season to 4-1.

After the match, Nikoloz Basilashvili said, "I felt pretty good. It's a great court, indoors. I felt like I didn't have my best serving day. But from the back of the court, I did everything I could. It's grass, and he is a German, playing pretty free. He started to get the crowd involved and got himself going. So, I am pretty happy with the way I closed that out.”