Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame a late challenge from Jenson Brooksby to win his opening match at the Winston-Salem Open, defeating the American 6-4, 7-6(6).
Tsitsipas appeared on course for a straightforward finish when he held three match points at 5-4 in the second set, but Brooksby saved them and forced a tie-break.
The Greek then faced a set point at 5-6 in the tie-break before winning the next three points to close out the match after one hour and 40 minutes.
Tsitsipas saved seven of the eight break points he faced.
“Mindset [matters],” Tsitsipas said after the match.
“Everyone can play good tennis, everyone can hit the ball. But when the moment gets crucial, when you have to really step up, I feel like [mindset] is the only [thing] that helps.”
The victory levelled Tsitsipas’ ATP Head2Head record against Brooksby at 1-1.
The 28-year-old will next face either Luca Van Assche or Aleksandar Kovacevic for a place in the quarter-finals.