MIAMI — Tennis fans in Greece were having quite the week, staying up until the wee hours to watch on TV as Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari turned the Miami Open into a Big Fat Greek Tennis Tournament.
In a nation with limited tennis history, Tsitsipas and Sakkari have been making as many headlines as NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who two years ago predicted Tsitsipas would become “the Greek Freak of tennis.”
The swashbuckling Tsitsipas is No. 5 in the world, the highest-ranked Greek player in history. His long, wavy hair has its own Instagram account, and his vlogging has made him an international fan favorite. With the absence of The Big Three — Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — and the quarterfinal ouster of top seed Daniil Medvedev, Tstitsipas was primed to win the Miami title as the No. 2 seed.
However, 26th-seeded Hubert “Hubie” Hurkacz of Poland crashed the party on Thursday afternoon.
Hurkacz came back from a set and break down to defeat Tsitsipas 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 and earn a spot in the semifinals. He will play American Sebastian Korda or No. 4 Andrey Rublev of Russia, whose Thursday night match was delayed by rain.
Tsitsipas appeared to be cruising, leading 6-2, 2-0 with game point in hand, but the 22-year-old unraveled. Hurkacz won six of seven games to even the match at a set apiece and broke the Greek’s serve three times to earn the win.
Tsitsipas admittedly let his emotions get the best of him. Just before the final set, he was slapped with a time violation after taking too long to change his shirt and headband.
“I was very stressed these two weeks,” Tsitsipas conceded after the loss. “Especially this week I was feeling very stressed. I felt like it was my opportunity. I did quite well, but I feel like there was more space for me to show something greater.
“It’s a disappointing loss. It’s a very disappointing loss. It left out of my hands. I grabbed it. It was there. Everything was under control. And suddenly, I don’t know, self-explosion [smiling]. Great for Hurkacz, who did what he had to do in order to beat me, but I feel like there was a lost opportunity that shouldn’t have happened.”
Hurkacz, winner of the Delray Beach tournament earlier this year, said he remained confident even when the match seemed out of reach. He fired 15 aces and took control as the third set wore on.
“I was trying to stay positive,” he said. “Even though the match wasn’t going my way, I was trying to be as competitive as I can. I believed in myself, and I think that was important.”
On the women’s side, top seed and defending champion Ashleigh Barty of Australia reached the final with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over No. 5 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.
Asked how this run to the final compares with 2019, Barty replied: “Chalk and cheese. Very different, I think. The conditions have been very different here this week. It’s been a lot warmer. Physically it’s been quite demanding. I remember last time we had a lot of rain, a lot of late nights, and a lot of disrupted matches.
“It’s been a little bit of an adjustment this year, but without a doubt, the quality of tennis has been just as good and just as consistent, which is what obviously you’re after in big events and events that extend over the two-week event here.”
Barty will play the winner of Thursday’s late match between Sakkari, playing the best tennis of her career, and No. 8 Bianca Andreescu of Canada.
Either way, Barty said, it will be a major challenge.
“Maria obviously has had an exceptional week,” Barty said. “She’s one of the best movers out on the court. She’s one of the girls who brings extreme physicality to the court. Having played her a few times, I know how difficult those matches are.
“For Bianca, I haven’t played her before, haven’t hit with her. It’s a fresh one for both of us. But she’s proven time and time again that she loves the big matches, loves the big tournaments, and has the game and the physicality to win them. Both matches will be different in their own right but no easier no matter which one it is.”