Jannik Sinner advances to the next round. © APA/afp / MARCO BERTORELLO

In front of a special guest: Sinner serves De Jong

Jannik Sinner's comeback tour entered the second round of the Masters 1000 tournament in Rome on Monday. After a solid performance in his opening match against Mariano Navone, his performance in the victory against Jesper De Jong (ATP 93) could be described as very good – with a few minor drawbacks.

12 May 2025

From: leo

Second match, second win, and still not a set dropped – Jannik Sinner's comeback couldn't have gone better so far. Even in completely different playing and weather conditions compared to his opening match, the 23-year-old thrilled the fans on Center Court with excellent tennis. His Dutch opponent held his own bravely, but ultimately, there was no way to beat the South Tyroleans' dominance – the final score was 6:4, 6:2.

Sinner was able to count on a special fan in his second match at the Foro Italico: The ardent Milan supporter granted Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni a first seat in his box. The 26-year-old saw Sinner start like a house on fire under the scorching Roman sun, then falter a bit, but never lose control of the match. However, the protégé of Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill also knows that he will have to raise his game even further in the third round, when Francisco Cerundolo (ATP 18) will be on the other side of the net.

De Jong makes the first set exciting

After the first 20 minutes, many spectators probably thought Sinner would make short work of the Dutchman. The 24-year-old appeared nervous, overwhelmed on the forehand side, and overwhelmed by Sinner's pace. This resulted in two quick breaks for the No. 1. However, with a 4-1 lead behind him, Sinner leaned back a bit too far.

The now stronger wind caused the South Tyrolean to repeatedly lose his timing, especially on his forehand. De Jong actually managed to level at 4:4, thanks in part to some clever variations – but just moments later, he suffered another break. Sinner didn't let anyone take the butter off his bread and took the first set after 50 minutes.

With a set lead behind him, the Sextner played with more confidence and composure. He quickly took the next break from De Jong, before a moment of shock occurred: On a Sinner through ball, the Dutchman slipped, fell to the floor, and injured his wrist. Although De Jong continued playing after a brief break for treatment, his resistance was broken. Sinner grabbed another break to clear and converted his first match point after 1.34 hour and XNUMX minutes.