Teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas became the first Greek man to reach the last 16 of a Grand Slam tournament in the professional era when he outclassed Italian qualifier Thomas Fabbiano on Friday
The 31st seed has become a hit with fans at the All England Club due to his dynamic style and he was impressive again during a 6-2 6-1 6-4 victory in Athenian-type temperatures.
Before this year Tsitsipas, whose mother is a former top Russian tennis player and whose father packed in his job to coach him, had never won a Grand Slam match.
But he has rocketed up the rankings and is already the first Greek to crack the top 100 in the ATP rankings.
“It’s amazing. It’s an amazing feeling, and I feel very proud that I represent Greece and that all of my hard work has paid off,” the 19-year-old, who will play big-serving American John Isner on Monday, told reporters.
“I feel extremely proud that I can be the first Greek in the Open era in the fourth round of a Grand Slam.”
Tsitsipas is part of the ATP’s Next Gen — the young guns led by Alexander Zverev who are expected to be challenging for Grand Slam titles in the not-too-distant future.
Blessed with great athleticism and power and a silky one-handed backhand, Tsitsipas looks to have all the tools to continue the remarkable progress which has seen him rise from 94th to 35th in the rankings in little more than six months.
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