Stefanos Tsitsipas moment with ballgirl sends tennis fans wild
A moment of class from Stefanos Tsitsipas has melted the hearts of tennis fans around the world, after the Greek star's Barcelona Open match against Ilya Ivashka was suspended due to bad weather.
Tsitsipas - fresh from last week's Monte Carlo title defence - was leading his Belarusian opponent 5-1 when inclement weather forced the match to be postponed.
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However, as the players were waiting by the side of the court to see whether the rain would subside, cameras captured a beautiful moment with Tsitsipas and a ball girl.
The pair were huddled next to one another under a large umbrella that the Greek ace was holding to provide them with shelter.
Clearly star-struck by the fact she huddled next to one of the best tennis players on the planet, the ball girl couldn't wipe the giant smile off her face.
Footage showed her taking a couple of sneaky glimpses around - perhaps to see if anyone had noticed her special moment with Tsitsipas.
The ball girl can then be seen gushing in a gesture of disbelief that what she was experiencing was actually happening.
Tennis fans couldn't get enough of the lovely scenes on social media.
Just look at that smile 🥰@steftsitsipas providing shelter from the rain in Barcelona!#BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/P2Dk3SVdf6
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 20, 2022
This scene made me happy knowing, there are still players not feeling too entitled! Great job @steftsitsipas 🥰
— Arion Millare (@docArion) April 20, 2022
And another one. Tsitsipas holding the umbrella for the ball girl who can't stop smiling https://t.co/kzXNiHIEqz
— Dave Worsley (@DaveLWorsley) April 20, 2022
Too cute. I love him, now.
— MMF (@RainrunnerWC) April 20, 2022
Ball girl couldn't stop smiling sitting next to Tsitsipas 😂 pic.twitter.com/ZTbYJkDglJ
— NoFirstName claycourtdal (@SMSTNS) April 20, 2022
might be the best postive pr move i’ve seen from tsitsipas in years with mixed doubles with maria being a close second https://t.co/yYxk6h6y7d
— cerundolo clay court szn (@tomicOUT) April 20, 2022
Alex de Minaur marches on in Barcelona
One man whose match at the Barcelona Open was able to be completed on Wednesday was Alex de Minaur, with the Aussie downing French cavalier Ugo Humbert in a three-set thriller.
De Minaur demonstrated his heart for clay court battle with a see-saw, rain-interrupted 6-3 4-6 6-3 triumph over the dangerous Frenchman.
The Sydneysider, ranked No.25 in the world, survived a blistering fightback from his fellow 23-year-old hot shot Humbert to book his spot in the round of 16, where he'll face South African Lloyd Harris.
De Minaur had beaten the 46th ranked Humbert in the ATP Cup earlier in the year and looked to be powering to a straight sets triumph when he broke for a 4-2 lead in the second stanza, with the Frenchman looking increasingly frustrated with his form.
But the flamboyant left-hander then went for broke, unleashing his superior firepower to win six straight games, taking the second set and opening up a 2-0 advantage in the decider.
Again, de Minaur rallied, showing tremendous resilience in defence as Humbert stuttered, taking the next five games only for the rain to intervene just as he was about to serve for the match at 5-3.
The 22-minute delay looked to have unsettled the Australian as he returned to swiftly face a break point but he got the job done five minutes after the resumption on his first match point, prevailing after nearly two and a quarter hours.
De Minaur's next-up opponent Harris earned a notable victory over Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3 6-4.
with AAP
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