The next routine victory for a strong Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner couldn't have dreamed of a better first week at the French Open. The world number two also made short work of Pavel Kotov (ATP 56) on Friday and - like at the Australian Open - moved into the round of XNUMX without losing a set.

31 Maj 2024

From: leo

Save energy, build up form: That was Jannik Sinner's goal in the first week of Roland Garros. He has more than achieved this, because the 22-year-old is in the round of 22 without losing a set - and above all with a significantly improved physical condition. He achieved the same thing in Melbourne at the beginning of the year, where he won his first Grand Slam title. If he only lost 30 games in the first three rounds, he lost 6 in Paris. But that shouldn't matter to Sinner, especially since he put in an excellent performance in the third round match - it was 4:6, 4:6 and 4:2.29 after XNUMX hours.

For the first time since the beginning of the week it didn't rain in Paris. The joy didn't last long, however, because three games had only been played when the roof on the Court Philippe Chatrier was closed because a rain front was approaching. Sinner probably had nothing against it, as he is one of the best indoor players on the tour. And in fact, it didn't take long after the roof was closed before Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi's protégé took the serve from his Russian opponent. Although Kotov kept up well and repeatedly set highlights with his powerful forehand, Sinner was never in danger of giving up the lead. He hit too precisely and too consistently for that.

Smart approach

What was clear to see: Sinner divided his forces wisely. While Kotov was already leading 40-0 in a service game, the Sexten player pushed for short points. However, when he saw an opportunity, he did everything he could to take advantage of it. Like at the beginning of the second period, when he grabbed the break in a long, hard-fought game. With the score at 3:2 from his point of view, Sinner had to survive the only tricky phase of the match, as Kotov earned the first break point. Once this was repelled, there was no going back. Sinner managed the lead without any problems and made it 2-0.

With the comfortable lead behind him, the Australian Open champion's self-confidence also grew. He repeatedly used the stop ball in the third set, against which the beefy Kotov couldn't find a solution. Sinner got the decisive break thanks to three stops. The fans in Philippe Chatrier tried to whip the outsider forward, but Sinner didn't let the match slip out of his hands. After around two and a half hours of play, he ended the game appropriately with an ace.

Now the Sesto native can sit back, relax and watch the game between Sebastian Ofner (ATP 45) and Corentin Moutet (ATP 79) in peace. The winner of this duel is the next opponent of the tennis star from Sexten. Although he has never played against the Frenchman, Sinner has fond memories of Ofner. He won the final of the Challenger tournament in Ortisei in 2019 against the Austrian.