Culinary enthusiast Stefanos Tsitsipas cooked up a 6-3, 6-3 win over Matteo Berrettini on Sunday, advancing into the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters.
Eight days after winning the Dubai 500 title, the eighth-seeded Greek reached the last 16 in California as he beat the Italian for the fifth time in six meetings.
Tsitsipas said that a new-found interest in the kitchen gives him the relaxing vibe on non-match days. “It’s a little thing that brings me joy,” he said.
But the interest might be more as a consumer rather than a chef: “I have a lovely girlfriend (WTA player Paula Badosa) who has started cooking for me.”
He added that leisure activities are not necessarily limited to the kitchen. “I’m hoping to maybe play some mini golf while I’m here; that would be something that I want to do.”
But his focus at the moment is strictly on the tennis, with the victory propelling him into the fourth round here for a third time.
The seed took control in the match early on.”I had a great start, clinching some chances in the second game,” Tsitsipas said.
“He didn’t find his rhythm and I used that to my advantage; he had a sore start and I utilised that.
“I played aggressive and stayed in the rallies. He started to find his spots in the second set so I had to come up with something good.
“I’m pleased with how I managed to construct the points later on. Focusing on serve is my biggest priority.”
Tsitsipas has now won his last seven matches after regaining a top 10 spot thanks to his Dubai title.
