NEW DELHI: In a concerning result ahead of Wimbledon, world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered a surprising defeat in his first match at the Mallorca Open in Barcelona.
He was defeated by Yannick Hanfmann with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. Tsitsipas had also experienced an early exit at the Halle Open last week on grass courts.
Hanfmann, ranked 48th, convincingly outplayed the Greek player.
Notably, Hanfmann showcased a strong serve, managing to avoid facing any break points in the first set and only losing one service game throughout the match.
He secured his victory against the unpredictable top seed with a forehand shot down the line.
With the Wimbledon main draw scheduled to begin on July 3, Tsitsipas' defeat raises concerns about his form and performance leading up to the prestigious tournament.
"A lot of things have to work to beat a top 10 player, I had a really good start," said Hanfmann.
"With the wind and the grass, having a match on the first day was really helpful."
Hanfmann will face either Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, in his final competition before retirement, or Australia's Jordan Thompson in the quarter-finals of the grass court tournament.
Christopher Eubanks surprised Ben Shelton 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) in an all-American battle earlier on.
France's Arthur Rinderknech also eased past his compatriot Constant Lestienne 6-3, 6-2 and will face Eubanks in the last eight.
Adrian Mannarino plays Corentin Moutet and Lloyd Harris meets Pavel Kotov in the other quarter-finals.
(With AFP inputs)
