Stefanos Tsitsipas, the top-seeded Greek tennis player and this year’s Australian Open runner-up, secured a significant victory at the ATP Mexico Open by defeating Australian Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4 in the final. This triumph marked Tsitsipas’s first title in 14 months and his tenth career title overall.
Although Tsitsipas had reached two previous finals this year, facing tough opponents like Novak Djokovic in Melbourne and top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz in Barcelona, he had narrowly missed claiming the titles. However, in Mexico, the 24-year-old top seed showed his prowess on outdoor hardcourts, dominating de Minaur throughout the match.
Stef, hermano, ya eres mexicano! 🇲🇽
The moment @steftsitsipas became the champion in Mexico!@CaboTennisOpen | #ATC2023 pic.twitter.com/A7A9RJM2UD
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 6, 2023
Tsitsipas displayed his excellent form and aggressive play style, winning 23 of 28 first-serve points. He broke de Minaur early in the second set, only to have his Australian opponent break back and level the score. Undeterred, Tsitsipas broke again in the ninth game, taking a crucial 5-4 lead with a powerful forehand winner. He then held his serve confidently, closing out the match after 86 minutes when de Minaur’s forehand went long.
The victory in Mexico was a much-needed boost for Tsitsipas, who had experienced a five-final win drought since his last title in Mallorca in June of the previous year. His remarkable record against de Minaur remained intact, as he maintained a perfect 10-0 head-to-head against the 19th-ranked Australian.
“It was a great match,” Tsitsipas said after the match. “I’m really happy we were able to deliver a great quality in the final match,” he added.
On the other hand, de Minaur was left disappointed, missing out on his chance to secure an eighth career ATP crown and seeking redemption after his loss to Alcaraz at Queen’s earlier in the year.
