Wednesday, May 20 will be remembered as a brutal day for the established guard in Geneva. Within hours, top seed Taylor Fritz, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Stan Wawrinka were all knocked out in the second round of the Gonet Geneva Open.
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Alexei Popyrin set the tone with a commanding 6-4, 6-4 victory over Fritz. The Australian was razor-sharp on return and never let the top-seeded American settle on the clay ahead of Roland-Garros.
The most dramatic exit belonged to Tsitsipas. Learner Tien, just 20 years old, outlasted the Greek in twin tiebreaks, 7-6(4), 7-6(2), in a high-intensity battle. The American struck 36 winners and 8 aces, winning 78% of first-serve points compared to 64% for Tsitsipas. Six months ago, Tien sat at world No. 28 and Tsitsipas at No. 34. Today, the American has climbed to 20th while the Greek has tumbled to 82nd, a stark illustration of shifting fortunes on tour.
Wawrinka, in what may have been his final match on Swiss soil, fell to Alex Michelsen in two tight tiebreak sets, 7-6(1), 7-6(4). The 41-year-old 2015 Roland-Garros champion showed glimpses of his best but paid for every hesitation in the decisive moments. He heads to Paris next week for one last dance.
Third seed Cameron Norrie rounded out the upset parade, falling to Mariano Navone 6-4, 6-4. The Argentine continues to impress on clay this season.
The quarterfinals promise fireworks: Tien faces Michelsen in an all-American next-gen clash, Popyrin takes on Casper Ruud, Navone meets Munar, and Alexander Bublik draws Rinderknech.
