Terrific Tsitsipas triumphant in Lyon
It was a sensational performance from the world No 5 to dismiss the tenacious Brit in straight sets to lift the title
Stefanos Tsitsipas in Madrid (Panoramic)
What happened: Stefanos Tsitsipas won his second title of the year in Lyon.
Why it matters: The 22-year-old extended his lead at the top of the 2021 match wins table.
You will also learn: How Cameron Norrie’s statistics have also impressed observers.
Stefanos Tsitsipas won his seventh ATP Tour title at the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon, beating a valiant Cameron Norrie in the final, 6-3, 6-3.
This was Tsitsipas’s fourth ATP final since March 20 – after Acapulco, Barcelona, and his triumph in Monte-Carlo – while Norrie was looking to join Andy Murray as the only British man to have won a title on clay in the last 45 years.
Tsitsipas: ‘I’m proud’
“I’m proud of today’s match – I knew it would be a difficult match against Cameron who’s played great tennis this week…and showing what a left hand can do on clay,” the Greek said after the match. “It wasn’t easy today, I had to handle the nerves and I’m proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused on my goal.”
Tsitsipas was seeking his 33rd match win this year – and his 116th since the start of 2019, both of which are tour-leading.
But Norrie has also been in fine form. The 25-year-old is third in the match wins stakes on tour so far in 2021, behind Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev.
He was also seeking his third win against a Top 10 player – with the other two also coming in Lyon. One was back in 2018, beating John Isner in the quarter-finals, and the other was, of course, on Thursday, when he shocked Dominic Thiem in one hour and five minutes.
And it was the intriguing encounter the statistics would have suggested, with the Brit’s wobble on serve giving away the first set courtesy of two double faults in one game. In the seventh game of the second, another double fault from Norrie gave the Greek the break and the impetus to finish the match off.
‘Norrie will get there’, says Tsitsipas
The Lyon crowd had got behind Norrie in the second set, and he paid tribute to them during his speech at the trophy ceremony. He acknowledged that Tsitsipas had been the better player, deserving the victory, and thanked the fans, saying: “I know you tried to get behind me and pump me up – I couldn’t come through.”
And in return Tsitsipas added that he was sure that titles would follow for the world No 49, saying: “The first title takes work, dedication and patience. I’m sure you’ll get there – not just one but plenty of them.”
