Sinner surges into last 16 as Italian charge gathers pace in Rome
Jannik Sinner powered into the last 16 of the Italian Open on Monday, defeating Dutch lucky loser Jesper de Jong 6-4, 6-2 to keep his home title hopes alive in front of an adoring Rome crowd.
World number one Sinner, who is returning to the ATP Tour following a three-month doping ban, looked composed on centre court as he dispatched De Jong in just 83 minutes. The 23-year-old will face Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo next — the man who ousted him at the same stage of the tournament last year.
“Tomorrow will be a big day for me, because I’ll need to raise my game against him,” Sinner told reporters. “He’s played some really good tennis recently, he got to the semi-finals in Madrid and he’s playing some real tennis. He’ll be confident.”
Sinner is bidding to become the first Italian man to win in Rome since Adriano Panatta in 1975. Monday’s victory, though not flawless, kept him on course. He briefly lost momentum in the first set after going 4-1 up, dropping two straight games before steadying himself to close out the set. A slip and minor wrist injury hampered De Jong early in the second, and Sinner took full advantage.
The home crowd’s celebrations continued as Jasmine Paolini advanced to the women’s quarter-finals, defeating former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 7-5, 6-2. The sixth seed will next face Russia’s Diana Shnaider.
“Today was unbelievable,” Paolini said. “We really enjoy being in this era of Italian tennis. We are like a team. Everybody is pushing each other.”
Matteo Berrettini faces sixth seed Casper Ruud later on Monday, as Italy eyes a sweep of centre court wins.
(Source: AFP)
