Stefanos Tsitsipas suffers shock first-round loss to Daniel Galán at US Open
The world No. 14 was ranked 64th in the new world rankings on Thursday and had reached the third round of the US Open, where he was knocked out in a walkoff victory over world No. 42 Daniel Galán in three sets.
Tsitsipas had to retire from the fourth set as the Spaniard’s serve had been broken.
The 23-year-old had made it through the first of three sets without losing either set and had looked set to do likewise.
But when Galán broke Tsitsipas’s serve in the fifth set and again in the sixth, forcing an injury-time decider with Tsitsipas needing to win three consecutive games to force a fifth set.
I just didn’t get to play a clean five-setter last night.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
This was the second time in four years that the world No. 14 had lost to a wildcard in the US Open.
He lost to eventual finalist Dominic Thiem in 2018, and then fell to fifth seed Dominic Murray in his only other appearance, also at the US Open.
He was playing his first US Open since making the quarter-finals in Doha in 2017, when he reached the quarter-finals without dropping a set.
“I’ve been waiting for my first US Open title since 2016 (Doha),” Tsitsipas said. “It’s very special because of [that]. But I missed a great opportunity last year. I was very disappointed and not able to have the big trophy.
“This is my first grand slam and I haven’t played a grand slam for a year. I’m very excited.”
The victory was his first match at the US Open since beating world No. 1 Andy Murray in a third-round encounter in St Andrews in 2018.
“It’s not a huge tournament at all, but it was the most important tournament for me as I got my first title,” he added. “It’s really emotional when you beat your hometown, your country, your favourite opponent and your idol.”
Tsitsipas was up to 18th in the world in the rankings on Thursday before a loss to another wildcard, Thiem, and a win over the world No. 2, Milos Ra