Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas survives a three-set battle against Aleksandar Kovacevic to advance at the Almaty Open in Kazakhstan.
Stefanos Tsitsipas battled past Aleksandar Kovacevic in a gripping first-round encounter at the Almaty Open on Tuesday, saving three set points in a crucial opening-set tie-break before securing a 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-3 victory.
The former world No. 3 needed two hours to overcome the American in the indoor ATP 250 tournament, showing resilience and composure to continue his impressive second-half resurgence.
The contest brought together two players with one-handed backhands, a relatively rare matchup on the modern ATP Tour. It was also a chance for Tsitsipas to avenge his defeat to Kovacevic in Winston-Salem in August.
The Greek delivered when it mattered most in the opening set, fighting back from three set points in the tie-break to take the advantage. Kovacevic responded strongly in the second set, levelling the match at one set apiece before Tsitsipas regained control in the decider.
Speaking after the match, Tsitsipas credited his persistence and patience for helping him secure the win.
“My persistence,” Tsitsipas said when asked what made the difference. “I was trying to stay in the match and just be patient.”
The Greek also praised Kovacevic’s serving performance and recent improvement, acknowledging the difficulty of returning against an opponent who had caused him problems in their previous meeting.
“He’s been very consistent and, in my opinion, he improved a lot in the past couple of months,” Tsitsipas said.
“Very unlikely to be playing each other first round, but I really wish him the best. He’s a great player and I’m a big fan of his game.”
Tsitsipas continues late-season resurgence
The victory takes Tsitsipas to 35 wins and 22 losses for the 2026 season.
The 13-time ATP Tour champion has collected 18 of those victories since beginning his run to the title in Gstaad in July, underlining his improved form during the second half of the year.
Tsitsipas will next face Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin, who received a wild card into the tournament and is competing in the final event of his professional career.
The Greek holds a commanding 4-0 head-to-head record against the 38-year-old and will look to maintain his momentum as he progresses through the Almaty draw.
Medvedev learns second-round opponent
Elsewhere in Almaty, top seed and defending champion Daniil Medvedev discovered his next opponent after Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro rallied to defeat Roman Safiullin 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4.
World No. 109 Shimabukuro will now face the former world No. 1 in the second round.
Frenchman Terence Atmane also advanced on Tuesday, defeating Australia’s Rinky Hijikata 7-6(5), 6-2. Atmane will next meet either sixth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry or Italy’s Mattia Bellucci.
For Tsitsipas, however, the focus remains on building consistency and extending his late-season run as he targets another deep tournament campaign.
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