'I didn't feel comfortable with strategy that worked against Zverev before,' Tsitsipas said

After five straight victories over Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered the first loss against the German since Washington 2018 in Acapulco, losing in straight sets and finishing runner-up.

After the match, Tsitsipas said that he couldn't find the usual pattern that works well for him against Alexander, making a strong start but losing ground after that. The Greek explained that he couldn't match the pace of Zverev's serves, rushing from the baseline and making too many mistakes.

Stefanos raced into a 4-1 advantage after 19 minutes and had a chance to move 5-1 in front. Zverev prevented that and secured five straight games to steal the opener 6-4.

The German earned a break at 4-4 in set number two and served for the victory, only to waste a match point and keep the rival in contention. Tsitsipas erased six break chances at 5-5 and created a set point on the return in game 12, denied by Alexander, who reached a tie break and won it 7-3 to cross the finish line first.

"I didn't have the chance to do things that worked in our previous matches. I didn't feel comfortable trying the strategy that helped me beat him. My serve was slow compared to his, and I couldn't put any pressure, so I hurried with my shots from the baseline. My main goal in 2021 is to win at ATP 500 title," Stefanos Tsitsipas said.