Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-3 in the first round of the Almaty Open, saving three set points in the opening tie-break. The seventh seed now meets Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin, who is playing the final tournament of his career.
Almaty, Kazakhstan: It was a contest between two one-handed backhands, and Kovacevic’s serve kept Tsitsipas under pressure for much of the indoor ATP 250 match. The Greek, a former world No. 3 and a 13-time ATP Tour champion, stayed level-headed through roughly two hours of play and edged the decisive moments.
A tie-break that swung the match
The first set went the distance, and the tie-break went further still. Kovacevic reached three set points, Tsitsipas saved every one, and he took the breaker 11-9 to win the set 7-6(9). Kovacevic responded by winning the second set 6-3 to level the match, but Tsitsipas took the decider by the same scoreline.
Afterwards Tsitsipas put the win down to persistence. He said he tried to stay in the match and stay patient, and he spoke warmly of Kovacevic’s game. The respect was earned: Kovacevic had beaten him in August at Winston-Salem, the last time Tsitsipas had faced a one-handed backhand before this meeting.
Rebuilding after Shanghai
The win lifts Tsitsipas to 35-22 for the season, with 18 of those victories coming since his title run at Gstaad in mid-July. It arrives days after his Shanghai Masters run ended against Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round, a tournament in which he had beaten Taylor Fritz in three sets in the previous round.
A farewell on the other side of the net
The second round carries a different kind of weight. Tsitsipas faces home wild card Mikhail Kukushkin, 38, who is playing the last event of his career. Kukushkin won his opener on Monday, beating Stefanos Sakellaridis 7-6(4), 7-6(3), so his farewell week continues. Tsitsipas leads their head-to-head 4-0.
Elsewhere in the draw
Medvedev, the top seed and defending champion, plays Sho Shimabukuro, the world No. 109, who came from a set down to beat Roman Safiullin 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4. Fifth seed Karen Khachanov opened with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Rei Sakamoto, and Terence Atmane beat Rinky Hijikata 7-6(5), 6-2.
Result: Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE, 7) bt Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-3 (about 2h), Almaty Open (ATP 250), first round, Tuesday 20 October 2026.
Next: Tsitsipas v Mikhail Kukushkin in the second round.
