NEW YORK: Colombian qualifier Daniel Galan stunned fourth-placed Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in an epic first-round showdown at the US Open on Monday, winning the affair in the ninth match point.
Galan was playing in the main draw for the first time and appeared right at home on tennis’s biggest stage. He won the opening 11 games as Tsitsipas struggled to find his usual finesse, winning just five of his serve points in the opener.
Tsitsipas had a physio tilt his right arm before the sixth game in the second set when he finally got on the board and again at the break before the third set when he broke Galan in the second game.
Tsitsipas, who never got past the third round in New York and was hoping to do better this year after reaching the Cincinnati final, lost just four of his points on first serve in the third set and looked like he had the momentum when he did break gallant again in the opening game of the fourth set.
“I just stayed calm. I lost the set but I felt like I was getting better and better,” said Galan, who broke back in eighth place.
Drenched in sweat and cheered on by the crowd, Galan Tsitsipas broke almost five times in game 10 for the match and finally made it in game 12 while staring at the stands in disbelief.
“I can’t explain how I’m feeling right now,” he said after the game. “I survived the game well.”