Tsitsipas sinks Bergs after slow start

Stefanos Tsitsipas was slow out of the blocks on Monday at the Australian Open, but he quickly adjusted to accelerate to victory against Belgian lucky loser Zizou Bergs. The Greek earned a 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 win to reach the second round in Melbourne for the sixth straight year.

"It felt great to be at that level of tennis," Tsitsipas said. "I was very focused, especially after losing the first set. I knew that this is my time to change things up and move on with better tennis, with better power and movement on the court and I think I outplayed him as well physically. I was stronger physically today, at least that's the way I felt. I think winning the first match today was all due to physicality and being constantly mentally involved during the match."

Last year’s finalist struggled to find any rhythm in the first set on a sunbaked Rod Laver Arena, falling behind to the energetic Bergs, who was aiming to earn his maiden major win.

After dropping the first set, the crucial turning point arrived at the start of the second set when Tsitsipas broke the 24-year-old’s serve. Approaching the net, Bergs hit a volley that bounced on the Greek’s side of the net before it started to spin back over to his. At full stretch, Tsitsipas leaned over the net to dispatch the ball before it had bounced again, narrowly avoiding the net in the process.

The winner gave Tsitsipas a 2-0 lead in the second set and from there it was one-way traffic, with Bergs tiring in the hot conditions. The seventh seed struck 38 winners, committed 28 unforced errors and broke Bergs’ serve seven times to advance after three hours.

"I was expecting Matteo and things like this are quite dangerous when you are preparing for a specific type of player," Tsitsipas said, who was due to play Matteo Berrettini before the Italian withdrew. "It was not easy for me but I had that determination... I am glad I turned it around and showed that fighting spirit."

Tsitsipas holds an impressive record at the hard-court major, having advanced to the final last year and the semi-final on three other occasions (2019, '21’, '22). The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion will next play Jordan Thompson or Alexsandar Vukic.