Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame the resilient Henry Squire with a 2-0 set victory (7-6, 7-6), advancing to the round of 16 at the Halle Open, marking a positive start to his grass court season.
After two closely contested sets decided by tie-breaks, Tsitsipas managed to defeat the young German with scores of 7-6 (7), 7-6 (2), progressing to the second round of the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, Germany.
Tsitsipas faced strong resistance from the tall and proficient server Squire in both sets but demonstrated superior play in the tie-breaks, securing his victory without facing immediate danger.
In the first set, Tsitsipas had the only break point of the match, which Squire saved to level at 4-4. The tie-break saw an intense battle, with Tsitsipas saving a set point on his serve at 5-6, ultimately winning 9-7 to take the lead.
The second set did not feature any break points, but the tie-break was one-sided, with the 25-year-old Greek dominating to win 7-2, completing the match in 92 minutes.
Tsitsipas will await the outcome of the match between Jean-Lennard Struff and Luciano Darderi, which was postponed to the following day due to rain, to determine his opponent for the second round on Thursday.
It is worth noting that if both Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner win their next matches, they are set to face each other in the quarterfinals of the Halle Open.
