The first round is underway for the final major of the 2026 tennis season, and two Greeks have made headlines for their statement wins. On Tuesday, Stefanos Tsitsipas delivered a notable upset, and on Wednesday, Maria Sakkari had an impressive comeback.
Tsitsipas is seeded 53rd in the world, despite his success over the years. He is a two-time grand slam finalist (2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open), and has won 13 ATP tournaments.
So, you may wonder why Tsitsipas’s first round win of the 2026 United States Open over Arthur Fils of France was such an upset. It is because of the recent success of the two players. Fils is ranked 10th in the world, the winner of the 2026 Cincinnati Open, and has a seasonal record of 32 wins and 10 losses. Tsitsipas’s seasonal record was only 25 wins and 19 losses, and was 0-5 all-time against Fils.
On Monday, we saw greatness some Tsitsipas and why he was once ranked third in the world. After two relatively even sets, Tsitsipas dominated the third and fourth sets in a 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory. Tsitsipas broke Fils five times in 12 opportunities.
Tsitsipas’s next opponent is South Africa’s Lloyd Harris. This will be their first ever meeting.
What we saw on Tuesday was an incredible comeback by Sakkari, the 32nd ranked player in the world. Sakkari was once down 6-2, 4-0 to Robin Montgomery of the United States before winning 2-6, 7-5, 6-2. Sakkari won 13 of the last 16 games in the match.
Sakkari, the 2021 French Open and United States Open semifinalist, will next play Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine. Starodubtseva, the 58th ranked player in the world, has never played Sakkari in her career.
