Stefanos Tsitsipas lost his cool in spectacular fashion as he was beaten by a player he had a stunning record against at the Washington.
The Greek star roared back to form as he lifted his first ATP Tour title of 2026 with a win against Raphael Collignon in the Swiss Open final earlier this month.
He would have been hoping that would be a sign of things to come, but his old troubles returned as he was beaten 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 by Alex de Minaur.
Tsitsipas had a 12-1 winning record against De Minaur heading into this latest meeting, but he lost his way badly in the third set in a match that lacked quality throughout.
With a massive 52 unforced errors thrown in by Tsitsipas, it may be understandable that he was struggling to contain his emotions and he exploded mid-way through the third set and smashed his racket in violent fashion, which earned him a code violation.
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Tsitsipas was also grumbling to his coaching team throughout the match and he appeared to blame his Wilson Blade racket for an error-strewn display that was not helped by the windy conditions.
It was a first win for De Minaur since his marriage to Katie Boulter and he suggested the quick turnaround since his wedding may have impacted his performance.
“Coming in, I really didn’t have too many expectations,” he stated.
“I’m glad that I was able to find a way in a tricky match. It wasn’t pretty tennis, but I did just enough to get over the line and I’m happy with that.
“Stefanos has been an incredible player for a very long time. He’s able to really hold that inside-out forehand really well and if you’re not able to find his backhand, you’re in a lot of trouble.
“In the past, I didn’t serve the best when I played him. Today I changed it up a little bit and it ended up working out for me.”
This win sets up the intriguing prospect of De Minaur taking on one of the rising stars of Australian tennis, as he will play Cruz Hewitt in the next round.
Of course, Hewitt is the son of former world No 1 Lleyton, who is a close friend and ally of De Minaur in his role as Australia’s Davis Cup captain.
“It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” added De Minaur, as he spoke as young Hewitt. “I’m really excited for him and this match-up. He’s playing amazingly and he has totally earned his place in this draw. I’m looking forward to this match-up for sure.”
De Minaur may claim he is relishing the chance to take on his compatriot, but he might change his tune if he loses against the teenager and if he plays as erratically as he did for much of the match against Tsitsipas, an upset could be on the cards.
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