Almaty Wednesday: Tsitsipas edges Kovacevic in three sets, Khachanov advances
Tsitsipas d. Kovacevic 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-3 in two hours. Khachanov d. Sakamoto 6-2, 6-4. Duckworth tops Darderi.
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | 7 | 3 | 6 |
| Aleksandar Kovacevic | 6(9) | 6 | 3 |
FINAL: Tsitsipas d. Kovacevic 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-3. Khachanov d. Sakamoto 6-2, 6-4.
Stefanos Tsitsipas fought past Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-3 in the first round of the Almaty Open on Wednesday, 21 October. Tsitsipas saved three set points in a high-tension opening-set tiebreak to avenge an earlier defeat at Winston-Salem. The match lasted two hours on the indoor hard courts in Kazakhstan. Fifth-seeded Karen Khachanov also advanced to the second round, firing past Japanese qualifier Rei Sakamoto 6-2, 6-4 in just over an hour without facing a break point. James Duckworth earned an upset over second seed Luciano Darderi 7-5, 7-6(7).
The stakes
Tsitsipas and Khachanov advance to the round of 16 in Almaty as indoor season points heat up.
The rivalry angle
Tsitsipas responds to his Winston-Salem loss by denying Kovacevic in an 11-9 tiebreak.
Players who could decide it
Saved three set points to win 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-3 in two hours.
Cruised past Rei Sakamoto 6-2, 6-4 without facing a break point.
Pushed Tsitsipas through two hours on indoor hard.
Did you know?
- !Tsitsipas saved three set points in the first-set tiebreak to take it 11-9.
- !Khachanov did not face a single break point in his 6-2, 6-4 victory over Sakamoto.
- !James Duckworth defeated No. 2 seed Luciano Darderi 7-5, 7-6(7).
Head to head
Wednesday 21 October 2026. Almaty Open Round of 32. Final.
Sources
Every score and ranking on this page is locked to a named source. If it is not here, it is not on the page.
