WATCH: Emotional scenes erupt in Greek camp at the United Cup after teenager Stefanos Sakellaridis causes one of the biggest upsets
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Emotional scenes at the Greek camp (Image: WWOS)
The United Cup mixed-gender event is going on smoothly in Australia. It has attracted a lot of attention due to the camaraderie between the players and the excellent support for teammates during the matches. Representing their country is an added feeling for the competing players.
In one of the biggest news from the event, 18-year-old Greek Stefanos Sakellaridis defeated Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in the United Cup. Sakelliridis is currently ranked 803 in the world and at 129 Bergs is ranked more than six times higher. There was a flood of emotions on the court soon after the historic achievement of Sakellaridis.
The moment was shared by United Cup’s Instagram handle. “Emotional scenes as Greek teen @stefanos.sakellaridis scores his first tour-level win. This is what makes team events so special,” the post read. The post received thousands of like instantly. Many congratulated the teenager for his tremendous feat.
What makes the achievement even more memorable is Sakellaridis was not the first choice to face the Belgian opponent. He came in as substitute in the match at the last minute after teammate Michail Pervolarakis withdrew. “I was getting prepared because I knew that my teammate has an injury and I might play,” Sakellaridis said about his late call-up.
Stefanos Sakellaridis appreciates the reception after win
Teenager Stefanos Sakellaridis was overwhelmed with the reception he got from his Greek teammates. World No 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas was one of the first to mob Sakellaridis. This win in the United Cup is a huge moral boost for the 18-year-old.
“Of course, the team’s reactions helped the win. You can see that the team chemistry is unbelievable,” Sakellaridis said about the reception. “It’s a huge boost for every one of us to play much better. When you feel good, you play good,” he further added. Earlier a reporter revealed that Sakellaridis was without a racquet sponsor and was close to running out of strings this week.
Greek captain too applauded Sakellaridis’ performance. Petros Tsitsipas described Sakellaridis’ win as ’something phenomenal’. “He did an amazing job. We are very proud of him,” the captain said. “He showed some excellent tennis, some excellent skills,” he further expressed.
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Abhinavendu Singh
(290 Articles Published)