Roland Garros: Stefanos Tsitsipas sails into round three

World no. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas will compete in the Roland Garros third round for the fifth straight year. Stefanos faced Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round and scored a 6-3, 7-6, 6-2 triumph in two hours and 16 minutes. The Greek barely escaped a decider in the first match, and he made sure to seal the deal in straight sets on Wednesday on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. The Spaniard erased the deficit in the second set to reach a tie break, losing it and fading from the court in set number three to propel the favorite over the top. Stefanos played well behind the first serve and struggled a bit on the second. However, he faced only three break points and lost serve two times. Tsitsipas grabbed 41% of the return points and turned them into six return games from nine opportunities, enough to seal the deal in straight sets. The Greek had 46 winners and 29 unforced errors, taming his strokes nicely and overpowering the rival in the mid-range and most extended exchanges.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is through into the last 32 in Paris for the fifth straight year.

Stefanos held after deuce in the second game with a forehand winner and pushed strong on the return at 1-1. Tsitsipas created a break chance with a forehand winner and converted it after Carballes Baena’s loose forehand. Stefanos painted a backhand crosscourt winner in the fourth game to deny a break point and held for 3-1. Both players served well in the next four games, and Roberto served to stay in the set at 3-5. Tsitsipas earned a set point and seized it after Carballes Baena’s loose forehand to wrap up the opener 6-3 in 39 minutes. The Spaniard sprayed another forehand error in the second set’s fourth game and offered the Greek three break chances. Stefanos caused Roberto’s mistake on the third to open a 3-1 advantage. Carballes Baena pulled the break back in game five, and they traded more breaks in games six and seven to stay neck and neck.

Roberto landed a rare service winner in the eighth game to level the score at 4-4, already doing better than in the opener. The returners had no chance in the last four games, and the set went into a tie break. Stefanos drew the rival’s mistake in the sixth point to forge a 4-2 advantage. The Greek landed an ace down the T line at 5-3 for three set points and converted the second to build a massive two sets to love advantage. Tsitsipas landed a forehand crosscourt return winner at the start of the third set to grab an early break. A mighty forehand pushed the Greek 2-0 up, and he delivered another break in the next one with a volley winner at the net. The servers barely lost a point from the fourth game, and Stefanos emerged at the top with a forehand winner at 5-2 that propelled him into the last 32.