Tennis: Mallorca Open Stefanos Tsitsipas Edges Roberto Bautista Agut For Maiden Grass Crown
World No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas won against Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2) in the title clash of the Mallorca Open at Santa Ponsa in Mallorca, Spain, on June 25 to claim his maiden tour-level title on grass
Stefanos TsitsipasStefanos Tsitsipas came out all guns blazing in the opening set to take a quick 4-0 lead, while Roberto Bautista Agut struggled to find his rhythm in front of a supportive home crowd. The 34-year-old Spaniard reclaimed a break to find his composure. However, Stefanos Tsitsipas was able to ease to a 6-4 win with his aggressive service game in the first set.
Stefanos Tsitsipas maintained sufficient momentum on his serve in the second set and took a 3-1 lead. The Greek was on track to secure a straight-set victory, but Roberto Bautista Agut was not ready to give up and sprang back into action to win five consecutive games from 1-3 to find his way back into the contest. He won the second set 3-6 with consistent, clean hitting shots, firing 12 winners in the second compared to three winners by the Greek.
The dramatic match went into a decider with the mid-match efforts of Roberto Bautista Agut. The 23-year-old Greek broke the delivery of his Spanish opponent to race to a quick 3-1 lead again. However, he was broken by the Spaniard while serving for the trophy at 5–3. He maintained his composure and dominated the third-set tiebreak to win the match after two hours and 31 minutes of play.
The tour-leading 40th victory of the season improved the Head to Head record of Stefanos Tsitsipas against Roberto Bautista Agut to 3-0. The title victory at Mallorca also helped him move a spot up on the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings to World No. 5.
In an on-court interview, Stefanos Tsitsipas said, "It looks like I am playing longer matches on grass than I do on clay. It was an incredible fight and an incredible battle. I know it can be difficult for one person to deal with the loss, but I think for tennis, it is significant that we can play at this high level and show our sport at its limits.
At the trophy presentation, he said, "I would like to congratulate Roberto on your run to the final. You have done incredible things for our sport, especially against top players, and have proven yourself repeatedly, so congrats on a fantastic week. I am happy that we had such a good battle in the final.