Bird of paradise meets down-to-earth South Tyrolean

Jannik Sinner is in the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto. So far, the South Tyrolean has been able to lean back a little more than he is usually used to. The 21-year-old only stepped onto the hard court once in the Canadian metropolis. In the first round he got a bye, in the second he defeated in one memorable duel with his compatriot Matteo Berrettini and on the night from Thursday to Friday the tennis icon had to Andy Murray canceled at short notice. In the round of the best eight, Sinner now has a feasible task, at least on paper.

But appearances shouldn't be deceiving, because Gael Monfils is always a force to be reckoned with. The Frenchman is currently in 276th place on the ATP rankings, which is modest by his standards, compared to Sinner's 8th place. Low form and injuries in the last few months caused his relegation to fall into free fall. But the 36-year-old seems to have found his magic again in Toronto. He impressed in the last few appearances with his impressive physique and rapid footwork. In this way, but above all with his creative and tricky style of play, he regularly fought his way into the hearts of the fans and now back to the top of the world in tennis.

Monfils also impressed with his serves in Toronto. © APA / VAUGHN RIDLEY

Wimbledon quarter-finalist Christopher Eubanks (ATP 29) and world number 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas have already fallen victim to the bird of paradise in Toronto. Monfils, who welcomed a baby daughter into the world with tennis star Elina Svitolina last October, underlined his growing self-confidence in the winner's interview after the game against the Greek: “I'm almost back to 100% and feel great. I’ve had a lot of hours of training and now matches behind me, so I’d say I’ll always be hard to beat.”

In addition to the ranking, the balance of the direct duels also speaks in favor of Sinner. So far, the two exceptional talents have met four times, with the South Tyrolean winning three games, most recently in 2021 in Sofia, Bulgaria (6:3, 6:4). Nevertheless, the shooting star of tennis also has to be careful of the lively Frenchman.

The spectacle takes place at 2.30:1 a.m. CEST on the night from Friday to Saturday. If Sinner also triumphs, world number 14 could be waiting in the semi-finals: Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard will play his quarter-final against the American Tommy Paul (ATP XNUMX).

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Bird of paradise meets down-to-earth South Tyrolean

Jannik Sinner and Gael Monfils will take the court at the Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto on the night of Friday to Saturday. Spectacles are guaranteed, the game starts at 2.30 a.m. CEST.

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