WATCH: Yannick Hanfmann scores statement win over world No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in Mallorca
By upsetting World No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas on Wednesday at the Mallorca Championships, Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann recorded the biggest victory of his career.
Hanfmann recently broke into the top 50 and the win over Tsitsipas is his first over a player ranked in the top five players in the world.
The German put in a more than solid shift powered by an accurate delivery of his service, winning 80% (36/45) of points behind his first serve, to advance to his first ATP Tour quarterfinal on grass.
“I think a lot of things have to work to beat a Top 10 player,” said Yannick Hanfmann after the win over defending champion Tsitsipas.
“I think I had a really good start. Maybe Stefanos was a little bit rusty in the conditions. With the wind and the grass it was not that easy, so maybe having a match already on the first day was really important.
“I served really well in all three sets. Just that one service game with two double faults, but overall I’m really happy with my performance.”
In the first game of the match and twice more in the deciding set, Hanfmann broke Tsitsipas’ serve to secure the statement victory.
The 31-year-old has a 16-9 record in 2023 after cracking the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings on Monday. In May on the clay in Madrid, he made it to his first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal, winning matches over top ten stars Andrey Rublev and Taylor Fritz .
Hanfmann, who is making his Mallorca debut, will next face either Feliciano Lopez, a local favourite, or Jordan Thompson. Lopez will be hanging up his racket after the Mallorca Open.
Also in Mallorca, Christopher Eubanks defeated a seeded opponent to advance to his first tour-level quarterfinal on grass. The American defeated his fellow countryman Ben Shelton in their first full ATP Tour match 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(2).
Eubanks and Shelton traded winners freely but ultimately it was the formers tally of 40 that shaded the latter’s 30 and powered him to victory in two hours and 43 minutes.
The 27-year-old Eubanks will now play lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech, who overcame fellow Frenchman Constant Lestienne 6-3, 6-2.
Adrian Mannarino and Corentin Moutet will contest an all-French quarterfinal while South African No 1 Lloyd Harris will play his first ATP Tour last eight match of the season against Pavel Kotov in the other matchup.
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