ATP Halle: Darderi surrenders only in 3rd set tie-break to Tsitsipas

An excellent Luciano Darderi was not enough to overcome the obstacle Stefanos Tsitsipas, world number 25, in the first round of the Halle ATP 500. The Italian, number 56 in the ATP ranking, in fact, surrendered only at the tie-break of the third set to the Greek (4-6 6-3 6-7) after two hours of play.

An uphill start for Darderi who lost his serve in the fifth game and had two chances to immediately recover the disadvantage, but Tsitsipas saved himself (4-2) and kept the break lead until the final 6-4.

In the second set comes the reaction of the Italian-Argentinean who snatches the serve from the Greek in the second game (2-0) and goes up in a flash to 3-0. Darderi conceded crumbs on serve and with authority evened the set count (6-3).

In the third and decisive partial the inertia is in favor of Darderi who, however, fails to convert even one of the five break points he had at his disposal. It thus comes down to the tie-break in which it is Tsitsipas who signs the decisive stretch, going up 6-2. The Italian nullified three match points for the Greek but on the fourth he could do nothing, sending a forehand response long.