Stefanos Tsitsipas has recorded a much-improved start to his Madrid Open campaign.
After earning a comeback victory in the first round, Tsitsipas knocked out eighth seed Alexander Bublik in straight sets.
The Greek, who has seen his ranking plummet from 34th to 80th this year, clinched his first top 20 win on clay since the 2024 Olympics with his win over Bublik.
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He will take on Daniel Merida Aguilar in the third round of the Madrid Open, whom he has never faced before on the ATP Tour.
Following his win, Tsitsipas received a message from tennis legend Boris Becker on social media.
Stefanos Tsitsipas receives message from Boris Becker after win
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Becker said: “Let’s keep going….1 match doesn’t give you the trophy you deserve eventually.
“Upwards & onwards,” concluded the German, who won six Grand Slam titles during his illustrious career.
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Tsitsipas has not made it past the third round of an ATP Masters 1000 event since the Monte-Carlo Masters last year, where he reached the quarterfinals.
He last won an ATP Masters 1000 tournament back in 2024, also in Monte-Carlo, his third trophy at the premium level.
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ results at ATP Masters 1000 events in 2026
Tsitsipas has managed to stay healthy this year after an injury-ridden 2025, but he has still failed to make deep runs during the Masters series.
At the Indian Wells Open, the former world number three suffered a first-round exit, losing to Denis Shapovalov.
He did slightly better at the Miami Open, beating Arthur Ferry and Alex de Minaur to reach the third round, but then lost to Arthur Fils.
In Monte-Carlo, where he has triumphed three times, Tsitsipas got his clay season off to a rough start by losing again in the first round.
Now, Tsitsipas is bidding to finally reach a Masters fourth round with a win over Merida Aguilar.
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