Stefanos Tsitsipas got closer to beat Novak Djokovic in straight sets, on 4-4 15-40 in the second set the Greek player wasted two break points in a row and then the Serb eventually prevailed in the tie-break. But Tsitsipas stayed there. 'I knew I was playing pretty good today', he said. 'So losing the second set, it was tough to deal with. You know, I had my opportunities and didn't use them. So, you know, I'm pretty used to that. I had matches like this in the past where I was close of winning the match and things didn't go my way. Eventually, I lost the set. And I remained calm. I tried few things that I didn't try before, and I played a bit -- I played a little bit more with variety and changed the pace a bit of the ball, played deeper, played smarter. Broke him early enough to -- yeah, I was serving well. So that break was everything. It gave me the win at the end. And serving, unbelievable. Returning pretty well here and there during the match. Yeah, best win of my career.' Tsitsipas had trained with Djokovic many times before this match. 'I had troubles in the beginning when we played couple of practice sets with him and tie-breaks', Stefanos admitted. 'But now I'm more familiar with his game. I know a bit better of the patterns that he's using on the court. So I felt confident. I felt confident with my game. And I knew he had some issues in some particular shots in his game, I would say. So I was waiting and, like, I grabbed him like a bulldog and stuck there and executed -- yeah, I executed my plan. I knew that at some point he's going to break, and I just patiently waited for this moment and it happened. Having the opportunity to practice plenty of times with him, and I wouldn't say read his game, but get used to the way -- the style he uses on the court helped me be confident in this match today and helped me execute my game, my plan.' ALSO READ: Novak Djokovic can reach Roger Federer's 20 Major titles - Gustavo Kuerten<doc-sep>Stefanos Tsitsipas upset the world No. 8 Dominic Thiem and will now face the 13-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in the Rogers Cup third round. Commenting on the upcoming match in press conference, Tsitsipas said: 'I practiced almost like a thousand times with him. It's going to be an interesting match. Obviously he's a favorite. I'm pretty sure about it. Everybody is expecting him to win. So I'll just play my game, be patient. There are going to be few opportunities in the match. I just need to use my chances as correct as possible and not hurry at all and just enjoy my time out playing in the center court, in such a beautiful center court here in Toronto. So I'm just going to get the best out of it.' Tsitsipas then commented on his Greek ancestry. Is there any connection he feels with Pete Sampras or those guys? 'I personally don't know Sampras at all. Yeah, I am pretty good friends with (Thanasi) Kokkinakis. (Nick) Kyrgios, I don't know. We didn't stick together, you know. I mean, it just didn't happen yet. We're not that close. But with Kokkinakis and (Mark) Philippoussis, I know him pretty well. My dad had chats with him last year at the US Open. He's an interesting guy. Speaks perfect Greek, fluent in Greek. And he had some good tips to give me last year. So as I said, he's a very interesting guy and very polite and very talkative.' ALSO READ: Stan Wawrinka breaks silence, opens up on relationship with Nick Kyrgios<doc-sep>The 19-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas has been on fire so far in 2018, heading to Toronto with 25 wins and as the Top 30 player, reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon and the semi-final in Washington last week where he lost to Alexander Zverev. Talented Greek has kept his momentum and Toronto is another great tournament on his tally, defeating the four-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-7 6-3 in two hours and 20 minutes for his first Masters 1000 quarter-final! This was the fifth Top 10 win for Stefanos and he is getting closer and closer to a place inside the Top 20, earning all that after a dominant performance on serve against one of the greatest returners in history, fending off both break points he faced to keep the pressure on the other side of the net. The Serb came to Toronto as Wimbledon champion but he hasn't played on that level, failing to impress in the first two matches and not finding his rhythm today either. Tsitsipas kept his backhand safe and he was the more aggressive player on the court, attacking from every opportunity to keep the points on his racquet and seal the deal in three sets. He was the dominant figure in the opener, converting one of six break points in the opening set for a 6-3 and playing well in set number two as well. Novak saved two break points in the closing stages of the set to take it in the tie break but he couldn't stay on the same level with a teenager, losing serve in game two of the decider to finish his run in the third round. Tsitsipas will now face Alexander Zverev or Daniil Medvedev for the place in the semis. Third round results: ↓ SHOW RESULTS ↓ [5]Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) vs Frances Tiafoe (USA) 7-6(1) 3-6 7-6(4) [4]Kevin Anderson (RSA) vs [Q]Ilya Ivashka (BLR) 7-5 6-3 Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs [9]Novak Djokovic (SRB) 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3<doc-sep>
Novak Djokovic BREAKS his racket in two during Tsitsipas match Tsitsipas, 19, recorded the biggest win of his career to knock Djokovic out of the third round in Toronto. The Greek ace set up an exciting quarter-final showdown with defending champion Alexander Zverev tonight. But Tsitsipas believes his previous practice sessions with Djokovic enabled him to read the Serbian’s game and take the ascendancy. “I had troubles in the beginning when we played couple of practice sets with him and tie-breaks,” Tsitsipas admitted. Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the Rogers Cup by Stefanos Tsitsipas “But now I'm more familiar with his game. I know a bit better of the patterns that he's using on the court. So I felt confident. “I felt confident with my game. And I knew he had some issues in some particular shots in his game, I would say. “So I was waiting and, like, I grabbed him like a bulldog and stuck there and executed - yeah, I executed my plan. “I knew that at some point he's going to break, and I just patiently waited for this moment and it happened. Tsitsipas set up a quarter-final clash with Alexander Zverev “Having the opportunity to practice plenty of times with him, and I wouldn't say read his game, but get used to the way - the style he uses on the court helped me be confident in this match today and helped me execute my game, my plan.” Djokovic failed to break his opponent's serve throughout the duration of the match and Tsitsipas was delighted with his performance. “I knew I was playing pretty good today,” he added “So losing the second set, it was tough to deal with. You know, I had my opportunities and didn't use them. Djokovic is next in action at the Cincinnati Masters next week