Tsitsipas to face Harris in US Open second round after stunning upset win over Fils
Greek tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas, who pulled off a first-round upset over 10th seed Arthur Fils, will face South Africa's Lloyd Harris in the US Open second round. Tsitsipas credits his recent coaching change for the renewed calm and confidence behind his resurgence.
Upset win opens the tournament
At the 2026 US Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas — competing unseeded at Flushing Meadows for the first time in his career — pulled off one of the tournament's biggest first-round upsets, beating 10th seed Arthur Fils of France, the recent Cincinnati Masters champion. Despite a 0-5 head-to-head deficit against Fils, Tsitsipas rallied from a set and a break down to win 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-4.
Harris awaits in round two
According to Yardbarker, Tsitsipas's second-round opponent will be South Africa's Lloyd Harris, who defeated American wildcard Jack Kennedy 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round while firing 16 aces. The former world No. 31 has been rediscovering the form that carried him to the US Open quarterfinals in 2021. The two have never met on the professional tour. The match is scheduled for Thursday, September 3 — Yardbarker lists a start time of around 4:30 PM EDT, while Stats Insider gives 7:10 AM AEST.
Stats Insider's predictive model, based on 10,000 simulations, gives Tsitsipas a 68% chance of winning. Betting markets reflect a similar lean, with Tsitsipas priced at $1.40 and Harris at $3.00 to win the match, and Tsitsipas at $1.53 versus Harris at $2.50 to take the first set.
A coaching change behind the resurgence
Speaking after his win over Fils, Tsitsipas explained his decision to part ways with his father, Apostolos, as his coach for a second time. He said he needed "a different voice" and more calm, describing the environment around him previously as full of "chaos" and "noise." Under his father's guidance, Tsitsipas reached two Grand Slam finals and a career-high ranking of world No. 3, but after first splitting in 2024 and reuniting last year, the pair separated again before Wimbledon this year, when Thomas Perrin joined his team. Following a stretch of injuries and disappointing results, Tsitsipas ended a 16-month title drought in July by winning the Swiss Open, beating Belgium's Raphael Collignon, and has since climbed back to No. 53 in the rankings after having fallen outside the world's top 80. He called the win over Fils an important confirmation that his game quality remains intact.
