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Tsitsipas first Greek man to win Australian Open match

Melbourne - An aggressive Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday became the first Greek man to win a match at the Australian Open after battling back from a set down to beat Italy's Mario Berrettini in four tough sets. 

The 20-year-old world number 15 made his Australian Open debut last year, falling to Canada's Denis Shapovalov in the first round. 

He went on to win his first tour title at Stockholm and was tipped by Novak Djokovic to be a future force after making the last 16 at Wimbledon and winning the NextGen ATP finals in Milan. 

"We both served very well. I actually said before, the match was going to be decided in few points on our serves, maybe tiebreaks, which happened," said Tsitsipas. 

"We played two sets of tiebreaks, the points were very close. Everything was very close. 

"I'm happy I stayed calm, stayed aggressive. I didn't think too much of what the score was. Focused more on me being aggressive, making him feel the pressure." 

His seeding of 14 is the highest he has ever been awarded at a Grand Slam in his seventh appearance at a major. 

Tsitsipas overcame a shaky start in sweltering conditions on court three against the world number 52 and was stretched again in the fourth set before closing out the match 6-7 (7/3), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4). 

He said he had been tweaking his serve in the off-season and it was starting to pay off. 

"I've been working a lot on my serve, the placement of my serve, during the pre-season," he said. 

"We all know that serve is very important in men's tennis. It's a big weapon. You got to use it correctly. 

"I'm really happy that I kind of transformed my serve, made it better, smarter. I actually mix it up a lot. There's a lot of variety now in my serve." 

He next faces Victor Troicki of Serbia, who beat Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena.

Results from Day 1 of the Australian Open on Monday:

Men

Round 1

Mackenzie McDonald (USA) bt Andrey Rublev (RUS) 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4

Radu Albot (MDA) bt Michael Mmoh (USA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

Fernando Verdasco (ESP x26) bt Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 6-3

John Millman (AUS) bt Federico Del Bonis (ARG) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2

Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) bt Tennys Sandgren (USA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-4

Karen Khachanov (RUS x10) bt Peter Gojowczyk (GER) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3

Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x14) bt Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)

Viktor Troicki (SRB) bt Roberto Carballes (ESP) 6-1, 1-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4

Stefano Travaglia (ITA) bt Guido Andreozzi (ARG) 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-3, 6-2

Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO x19) bt Christopher Eubanks (USA) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3

Gael Monfils (FRA x30) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-0, 6-4, 6-0

Taylor Fritz (USA) bt Cameron Norrie (GBR) 6-3, 7-6 (8/6), 6-2

Daniel Evans (GBR) bt Tatsuma Ito (JPN) 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (10/8)

Kevin Anderson (RSA x5) bt Adrian Mannarino (FRA) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1

Frances Tiafoe (USA) bt Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND) 7-6 (9/7), 6-3, 6-3

Jordan Thompson (AUS) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-1, 7-6 (7/0), 6-3

Andreas Seppi (ITA) bt Steve Johnson (USA x31) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x20) bt Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4

Pablo Cuevas (URU) bt Dusan Lajovic (SRB) 6-4, 7-5, 6-1

Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) bt Jason Kubler (AUS) 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), 2-6, 6-3

Reilly Opelka (USA) bt John Isner (USA x9) 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5)

Tomas Berdych (CZE) bt Kyle Edmund (GBR x13) 6-3, 6-0, 7-5

Robin Haase (NED) bt Guillermo Garc1a-Lopez (ESP) 7-5, 6-4, 7-5

Denis Kudla (USA) bt Marc Polmans (AUS) 5-7, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2

Diego Schwartzman (ARG x18) bt Rudolf Molleker (GER) 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0

Alex De Minaur (AUS x27) bt Pedro Sousa (POR) 6-4, 7-5, 6-4

Henri Laaksonen (SUI) bt Mirza Basic (BIH) 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-3

Matthew Ebden (AUS) bt Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt James Duckworth 6-4, 6-3, 7-5

Roberto Bautista (ESP x22) bt Andy Murray (SCO) 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (4/7), 6-2

Roger Federer (SUI x3) bt Denis Istomin (UZB) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Marin Cilic (CRO x6) bt Bernard Tomic (AUS) 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)

Women

Round 1

Irina Begu (ROM) bt Andrea Petkovic (GER) 6-7 (3/7), 4-3 retired

Belinda Bencic (SUI) bt Katerina Siniakova (CZE) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3

Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) bt Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE x32) 6-4, 7-6 (7/1)

Lesya Tsurenko (UKR x24) bt Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) 6-4, 7-6 (7/4)

Amanda Anisimova (USA) bt Monica Niculescu (ROM) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4

Katie Boulter (GBR) bt Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 6-0, 4-6, 7-6 (10/6)

Aryna Sabalenka (BLR x11) bt Anna Kalinskaya (RUS) 6-1, 6-4

Ashleigh Barty (AUS x15) bt Luksika Kumkhum (THA) 6-2, 6-2

Wang Yafan (CHN) bt Ellen Perez (AUS) 6-4, 6-0

Astra Sharma (AUS) bt Priscilla Hon (AUS) 7-5, 4-6, 6-1

Maria Sakkari (GRE) bt Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x22) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2

Maria Sharapova (RUS x30) bt Harriet Dart (GBR) 6-0, 6-0

Rebecca Peterson (SWE) bt Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 6-4, 6-1

Johanna Larsson (SWE) bt Vera Lapko (BLR) 7-6 (7/5), 3-0 retired

Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x3) bt Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) 6-3, 6-4

Sloane Stephens (USA x5) bt Taylor Townsend (USA) 6-4, 6-2

Timea Babos (HUN) bt Ons Jabeur (TUN) 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/3)

Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) bt Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) 6-3, 6-2

Petra Martic (CRO x31) bt Heather Watson (GBR) 6-1, 6-2

Anett Kontaveit (EST x20) bt Sara Sorribes (ESP) 6-3, 6-2

Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) bt Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 6-1, 6-1

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) bt Monica Puig (PUR) 6-4, 6-3

Kiki Bertens (NED x9) bt Alison Riske (USA) 6-3, 6-3

Danielle Collins (USA) bt Julia Georges (GER x14) 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4

Sachia Vickery (USA) bt Ysaline Bonaventure (BEL) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

Zoe Hives (AUS) bt Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 6-1, 6-2

Caroline Garcia (FRA x19) bt Jessika Ponchet (FRA) 6-2, 6-3

Donna Vekic (CRO x29) bt Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 6-2, 6-4

Kimberly Birrell (AUS) bt Paula Badosa (ESP) 6-4, 6-2

Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) bt Bernarda Pera (USA) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4

Angelique Kerber (GER x2) bt Polona Hercog (SLO) 6-2, 6-2

Petra Kvitova (CZE x8) bt Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 6-3, 6-2

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