Tsitsipas and Simon may well have been tucking into some pre-match food when watching Barty out on the Rod Laver Arena ahead of them. Barely an hour later they’re walking out onto the court themselves after the women’s world No 1 served Kovinic a double bagel, winning 6-0 6-0, and prompting Tsitsipas and Simon to get ready much quicker than they would have thought! That intriguing match-up is getting under way shortly.
S. Tsitsipas vs G. Simon | Australian Open
Men's Singles | Round 1 | 09.02.2021 | Rod Laver Arena
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Completed
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S. Tsitsipas (5)
6
6
6
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G. Simon
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Live
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Updated 09/02/2021 at 10:56 GMT
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- Highlights
10:56
TSITSIPAS 6-1 6-2 6-1 SIMON
Another stroll for Tsitsipas on serve, and so it’s time to see whether Simon has the will to keep this game going.
He doesn’t. Tsitsipas brings up two match points, converting the first to seal an emphatic win. That’s just four games dropped and not a break point faced.
10:50
TSITSIPAS 6-1 6-2 *4-1 SIMON
Still no look-in on the Tsitsipas serve for Simon. That doesn’t look like changing either, given the Greek hasn’t even been taken to deuce yet, which means not a break point to save.
A double fault from Simon sees him trail 0-30 on serve. It’s quickly 0-40, and after saving the first Tsitsipas converts the second.
10:41
TSITSIPAS 6-1 6-2 *2-1 SIMON
“Twenty years I’ve been playing, but never like this,” Eurosport commentator Simon Reed kindly translates for us. That was from Gilles Simon in French, clearly aggrieved with how his first-round match is playing out.
The mini pep-talk works, mind, as he holds serve to stay within touching distance in this set.
10:30
TSITSIPAS 6-1 6-2 *1-0 SIMON
And it’s the early break for Tsitsipas in the third set too. He’s cruising, absolutely cruising.
10:24
TSITSIPAS 6-1 6-2 0-0* SIMON
The inevitable indeed. Tsitsipas brings up three set points and with an unreturned serve he converts the first!
10:20
TSITSIPAS 6-1 *5-2 SIMON
Heading towards the inevitable it would seem but Simon at least puts that off for now, winning just his third game of the match to make Tsitsipas serve to take a 2-0 lead.
10:12
TSITSIPAS 6-1 *4-1 SIMON
Simon was able to get on the board immediately in the second, but the Frenchman has deteriorated from there. Four games in a row, including two breaks for Tsitsipas, and the Greek leads 4-1.
09:53
TSITSIPAS 6-1 0-0* SIMON
One-way traffic. The Rod Laver evening crowd are in danger of watching two non-contests after the Barty double bagel earlier!
09:39
TSITSIPAS *4-0 SIMON
It’s a breeze out there for the fifth seed at the moment. The 2019 semi-finalist here has already broken Simon twice and looks in total control out on the Rod Laver court.