Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante notched the biggest win of his career Saturday, dispatching No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round of the Cincinnati Open at Mason, Ohio.
Tirante recorded 13 aces and 40 winners against Dkojokic, who wilted under the Midwest heat and humidity. Tirante finished off a wobbly Djokovic in two hours and 44 minutes.
“I think this is the best win of my career,” Tirante said. “I think I really did a good job inside the court. I managed very well the nerves of playing against a legend like Novak. Now I feel relieved, because it is all so much pressure when you cannot break (serve). I had so many points to break and I couldn’t, so that was the key, to keep believing in myself with my team and think about it after the match.”
Djokovic saved 13 of 15 break points but committed 40 unforced errors and seven double faults. He had 25 winners and five aces.
It was the Serbian’s first match since losing to Italy’s Jannik Sinner in last month’s Wimbledon semifinals and he had trouble dealing with the conditions.
“It was not an enjoyable match for me, for sure,” Djokovic said. “The way I felt. Not the first and I guess not the last time, but it is what it is.”
Djokovic, 39, said he is dealing with a health issue that affected him on the court.
“It’s just a condition that I have, health wise, that has been bothering me for the past couple of years,” Djokovic said. “(It causes) a lot of issues, especially when it is humid and it is hot.”
Still, Djokovic led 3-2 in the fourth set before he deteriorated further physically.
Tirante, 25, stepped up and won four of five games to complete the stunning upset and improve to 4-1 against Top 10 players.
Tirante will next face Spain’s Martin Landaluce, who beat No. 31 Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
In the final match of the night, No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev avoided a similar upset fate when he rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie. The German reigning French Open champion was broken in his first service game but faced just two more break points, saving them both to win his final 12 service games.
Also Saturday, Australian fifth seed Alex de Minaur recovered from a shaky start to post a 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory over Quentin Halys of France.
No. 7 Flavio Cobolli of Italy advanced with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia. A pair of Czech seeds earned wins over Italian competitors, with No. 9 Jiri Lehecka surviving with a 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3 defeat of Matteo Berrettini while No. 14 Jakub Mensik outlasted Mattia Bellucci 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (5).
No. 12 Rafael Jodar of Spain needed nearly three hours to come away with a 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 win over Canada’s Denis Shapovalov, and No. 18 Tommy Paul held off Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz for a 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3 win.
Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo scooted past No. 15 Valentin Vacherot of Monaco 6-3, 6-3 and Australia’s Rinky Hijikata beat No. 19 Luciano Darderi of Italy 6-4, 6-2.
No. 21 Arthur Fils of France similarly faced less resistance in a 96-minute 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann.
No. 22 Alejandro Tabilo of Chile was a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, France’s Terence Atmane recorded a 6-3, 7-6 (4) upset of Argentina’s 26th-seeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry and No. 28 Alexander Blockx of Belgium beat Argentina’s Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-4.
The lowest seed in the field, No. 32 Arthur Fery from Great Britain, came away with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win over Australia’s James Duckworth.
–Field Level Media
