WHAT HAPPENED: Daniel Altmaier is through to the third round of the US Open for the first time in four appearances in Flushing Meadows thanks to a 7-6(5), 1-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 upset of 26th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece on Thursday night. The German saved a match point with a big forehand at 4-5 in the final frame, sparking a late surge to the finish line in Grandstand.
The former world No. 3 Tsitsipas’ hard luck continues in New York. The US Open remains the only Grand Slam where he has yet to reach the Round of 16.
Despite coming off the longest match of the tournament, a taxing four-hour, 46-minute defeat of Serb Hamad Medjedovic in the opening round, Altmaier looked surprisingly fresh in the Grandstand throughout the four-hour, 21-minute match.
Tsitsipas, seeded outside the Top 16 here for the first time in his career, surged to a 5-4 advantage in the first-set tiebreak, only to surrender three straight points and the set.
On serve at 2-1 in the second set, Tsitsipas took an off-court medical timeout. He seemed rejuvenated upon return, reeling off the next four games to equalize at a set apiece, then pulling ahead.
But Altmaier, 26, hung in there, eventually forcing a decider. The German fought off a break point in four consecutive service games down the stretch, culminating in a match-point save behind a fearless forehand at 4-5, 30-40.
After applying pressure throughout the set, Tsitsipas unraveled at the crucial moment, offering up two double faults and a loose forehand to give away what proved to be the decisive break.
WHAT IT MEANS: Altmaier's next challenge will come in the form of eighth seed Alex de Minaur, a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 winner against Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki in Stadium 17.
Tsitsipas, 27, was seeking back-to-back wins for the first time since defeating Americans Sebastian Korda and Reilly Opelka in Barcelona in April, and consecutive Grand Slam victories for the first time since advancing to the 2024 Roland Garros quarterfinals.
MATCH POINT: Altmaier smacked a career-best 24 aces in his first-round win over Medjedovic, and added 15 more on Thursday night against Tsitsipas.
