Tag: Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner said he ran out of energy and “hit the wall” as his 30-match winning run came to an abrupt halt in the second round of the French Open on Thursday.

World number one Sinner, the red-hot favourite at Roland Garros this year, suffered a dramatic five-set defeat by Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo after a sudden collapse on another sweltering day in Paris.

Sinner appeared to be cruising to victory, holding a two-set lead and a commanding 5–1 advantage in the third, before completely unravelling and sliding to a 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 loss.

“I had no energy today. That can happen. Nobody is a robot,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion, who complained of dehydration and dizziness, saying he felt as though he might vomit.

The Italian left Court Philippe Chatrier to receive medical treatment while serving for the match. He returned minutes later, but Cerundolo sensed his opportunity against an ailing opponent.

“I struggled, starting to feel very dizzy,” added the 24-year-old Sinner. “I was very, very flat, you know, the whole body. I don’t remember [the] last time I felt this weak.”

“I woke up this morning, didn’t feel very well and tried to keep the points very short. In the beginning, I was hitting very clean, very good, and then I just kind of hit the wall.”

Sinner revealed he began to fade halfway through the third set as temperatures once again climbed above 30C during a record-breaking heatwave in France.

But he refused to blame the conditions for his unexpected exit, his earliest at a Grand Slam since he lost at the same stage here in 2023.

“It was warm, but not crazy warm,” said Sinner. “Really, it was nothing against the heat, nothing against the weather. It was just me today, but it happens.

“I don’t want to take anything away from him (Cerundolo). He played a very solid match.”

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Jannik Sinner arrived in Paris on the back of winning all three of the clay-court Masters titles, with his odds of completing a career Grand Slam enhanced further by the absence of injured rival Carlos Alcaraz.

Instead, it was another bitterly disappointing ending at Roland Garros for last year’s runner-up, who held three championship points 12 months ago before losing to Alcaraz.

“It’s tough to accept because of the position I’ve been in and everything considered, but yeah, now I have a lot of time to recover,” said Sinner.

“I won’t play any tournament on grass before (Wimbledon). Now I really need some time off, recover completely, also mentally, and then be ready to go again.

“As I said, at the beginning of the year, this (the French Open) is my main goal here. A very early exit it was not what I was looking for.”

For Cerundolo, who goes on to play Martin Landaluce in the last 32, it was just the third Grand Slam match win of his career.

The Buenos Aires native didn’t blink as Sinner tried to gamely hang on, Cerundolo putting away the struggling top seed to pull off a monumental upset.

“It’s tough for him (Sinner). I think I was a little bit lucky,” said Cerundolo. “The match was almost lost.”

“I started to notice that something wasn’t good, because I mean, he was beating me pretty easy,” he added.

“Tennis is about being in the present day and being better in that match. He’s number one in the world because he’s the best every day. (It) just happened this day. I was better this day.”

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Jannik Sinner succumbed to an apparent bout of heatstroke and a remarkable Juan Manuel Cerundolo comeback to crash out of the French Open on Thursday, blowing the men’s tournament wide open, before Aryna Sabalenka bids to avoid a similar fate.

The world number one was cruising when leading by two sets and 5-1 in the third set before suddenly struggling with his movement as he lost 18 points in a row.

Sinner took a medical time-out, complained of feeling “dizzy” and left a sweltering Court Philippe Chatrier for treatment, but after returning still slipped to a 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 loss to world number 56 Cerundolo.

“I was little bit lucky, I feel sorry for him,” said Cerundolo.

“I don’t know what happened, he was cramping, maybe the pressure. I feel sorry for him and hope he recovers.”

Sinner suffered his earliest exit from a Grand Slam since the 2023 French Open, as Cerundolo completed one of tennis’ biggest shocks in recent years and set up a last-32 tie against either Spanish youngster Martin Landaluce or Czech Vit Kopriva on Saturday.

The unseasonably hot weather has caused problems for players all week in Paris.

Czech Jakub Mensik collapsed on court with cramps after his win on Wednesday, while Novak Djokovic called for matches to be moved to later in the day.

The 24-year-old Sinner was the latest to wilt under the blazing sun, seeing his 30-match winning streak, after taking titles in Rome, Madrid and Monte Carlo, Miami and Indian Wells, come to a shuddering halt.

The Italian will now have to wait until next year, when injured rival Carlos Alcaraz will likely be back in action, for his next chance to complete the career Grand Slam.

The top seed was in total control and romping towards the most routine of victories before he suddenly started to struggle physically, losing three consecutive games to love.

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He asked the chair umpire what his options were when 0-40 down in the next game, before being evaluated by a physio, saying he felt dizzy and needed to vomit.

Sinner gingerly returned to the court after treatment to applause from the crowd but continued to melt in the 32C heat and departed the stage again after Cerundolo took the set.

After a nine-minute delay, the cramping Sinner hobbled back out but quickly saw the fourth set slide away as Cerundolo levelled the tie.

The unheralded Argentinian appeared inspired by the opportunity to knock out the world’s best player and raced to victory against his deflated opponent, who was left bent over double after every lengthy rally.

The underdog was left to celebrate a sensational win after clipping away a forehand winner to reach the third round of a Slam for the first time.

“I tried to play my best, I’m going to keep trying to play my best. The clay is my best surface and I hope to be ready for the next match,” added Cerundolo.

Sinner’s compatriot Flavio Cobolli, the 10th seed, reached the third round for a second successive year with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over China’s Wu Yubing.

He will next face American Learner Tien after the 18th seed fought back to defeat world number 151 Facundo Diaz Acosta of Argentina 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.

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Jannik Sinner won the Italian Open on Sunday after beating Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to claim a record-extending sixth consecutive Masters 1000 tournament victory.

World number one Sinner has now completed the ‘Golden Masters’ by winning all of the ATP’s top-ranked events after becoming the first Italian champion at the Foro Italico since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago.

Only Novak Djokovic had previously won all nine Masters 1000 events before Sunday, but there was little doubt about Sinner triumphing over the last 10 days.

Sinner heads into Roland Garros, which starts next weekend, on a 29-match winning streak after beating Ruud for a fifth time in as many meetings.

And his run of match wins is even longer, 34, in Masters 1000 tournaments, another record he has established in a season in which he has dominated the men’s tour.

Jannik Sinner can complete his collection of Grand Slams at Roland Garros, and with his great rival Carlos Alcaraz out of action, few would bet against him securing a first title on Paris clay.

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Ruud has won more matches and tournaments on clay than anyone else on the men’s tour since the start of 2020 — last winning a Masters 1000 event at Madrid last year, but he couldn’t beat Sinner for the first time.

Norwegian Ruud had never won a set against Sinner in any of their previous four meetings, but immediately improved on the fearful hammering he received here from the Italian last year by winning the first two games.

But Sinner broke straight back and took the lead in the match after an opening set in which world number 25 held his own against a player he’d previously said, “cannot lose”.

Sinner then broke Ruud again at the start of the second set, and from there it was just a matter of time before he won the championship, even though Ruud performed with credit in front of a packed centre court crowd.

It was a good day for Italian tennis as Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori also won the men’s doubles title, beating second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6 (10/8), 6-7 (3/7), 10-3.

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Jannik Sinner reached the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Thursday after seeing off Andrey Rublev and establishing a new record of consecutive wins in Masters 1000 tournaments.

Another straight-sets victory, this time 6-2, 6-4 over Rublev, moved Sinner up to 32 straight wins in the ATP’s top-ranked events, one more than the previous record established by Novak Djokovic in 2011.

“I don’t play for records, I play just for my own story,” said Sinner on court.

“At the same time, it means a lot to me, but tomorrow is another day, another opponent, a different opponent.”

Rublev was Sinner’s first seeded opponent at this year’s tournament in Rome, and the world number one made short work of his task in front of a delighted center court.

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On Friday, Sinner could face Daniil Medvedev, winner of the 2023 title at the Foro Italico, with the seventh seed taking on lucky loser Martin Landaluce in the first match of the evening session, which is scheduled to start at 17:00 GMT.

Sinner looks near unbeatable at the moment, and with his great rival Carlos Alcaraz out injured, he is the heavy favorite to become the first Italian to win the Rome title in five decades, with a potential career Grand Slam on the cards at the French Open.

Rublev offered little resistance, the Russian dropping his own serve in the first game of both sets to give Sinner a handy leg-up, and committing 28 unforced errors in 18 games.

Sinner, meanwhile, showed flashes of his best tennis but also started to look tired towards the end of the match, visibly touching his left thigh before confidently serving for the match.

“I’s starting to feel that I’ve been playing a lot, so I need to recover as much as possible because tomorrow wil be very difficult,” Sinner later told reporters.

“However it goes it will be a win for me, if I win great but even if things don’t go well that OK because I’ll have a few more days to prepare for Paris which is my main objective this year.”

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Jannik Sinner breezed into the last 16 of the Italian Open on Monday after swatting aside Alexei Popyrin in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0, to continue his bid for a first title in Rome.

The world number one easily won his 25th straight match, taking just over an hour to see off Australia’s Popyrin and set up an Italian derby with Andrea Pellegrino in the next round.

Pellegrino, 29, who beat 20th seed Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (10/8), 6-1, is a qualifier ranked 155 in the world who before this week had never played in the main draw of a Masters 1000 tournament.

“It’s fun to play a derby in Italy, he’s having an incredible tournament with a lot of victories against some really good oppoonents,” Sinner told reporters.

“We’ve played each other a long time ago (in 2019 in an ITF tournament), but he was a different player, and I was a different player.”

Sinner, meanwhile, is trying to extend his own record-breaking run of overall victories in the ATP’s top-ranked events after having won his last five.

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The 24-year-old joins Novak Djokovic as the only player to win a year’s first 25 Master 1000 matches, with the Serbian tennis icon’s record run stretching to 31 matches in 2011.

Popyrin was suffocated by Sinner and made 23 unforced errors on his way to a comprehensive defeat.

The world number 60 only got 48 percent of first serves into play and that allowed Sinner to break five times and close out a match which was barely a contest.

“He’s a big server so his percentage was not very high, which helped me for sure a little bit, but I’ve been returning very well the second serves,” said Sinner.

Should Sinner prevail at the Foro Italico he will be the first Italian to win there since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago, and would complete his collection of Master 1000 tournaments.

With great rival Carlos Alcaraz out injured and Novak Djokovic eliminated early, Sinner will be red-hot favorite as he builds towards completing the career Grand Slam at the French Open, which starts next week.

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World number one Jannik Sinner dispatched Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday to win the Madrid Open for the first time.

The Italian claimed a record fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title and stretched his winning streak to 23 matches with a superb display in the Spanish capital.

Only tennis greats Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic had managed to win four titles at this level in a row.

Sinner has been in impeccable form and broke world number three Zverev’s first service game before consolidating for a 3-0 lead.

The Italian, who also won the eight prior meetings against Zverev, secured another break and eased into a 5-0 advantage on his serve.

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In the sixth game Zverev produced his first hold, but there was nothing the 29-year-old could do about Sinner’s powerful serving.

The four-time Grand Slam winner has ben working on increasing his variety and a drop shot left Zverev scrambling before Sinner clinched the first set with an ace.

World number two Carlos Alcaraz’s wrist injury has left Sinner with no realistic rival in the weeks ahead, leading to Roland Garros.

Sinner broke in the third game of the second set to tighten his grip on the title.

Zverev, a two-time Madrid winner who thrives at altitude, showed more fight than in the first stanza but could not stop his opponent.

Sinner hammered down a forehand winner for another break to take a 5-2 lead and serve for the championship.

The Italian sealed his triumph serving to love to wrap up a a sublime fortnight in Madrid where nobody has come close to stopping him.

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World number one Jannik Sinner downed Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 on Friday to reach the Madrid Open final, where he will face Alexander Zverev.

The second seed dispatched promising Belgian Alexander Blockx 6-2, 7-5 later on.

Sinner won his 22nd straight match to book a place in Sunday’s final, where he will aim to win a record fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title.

With his chief rival Carlos Alcaraz out injured, Sinner is the firm favourite to triumph at the Caja Magica and add to recent titles at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo.

“I played at a very high level, but I focus on always raising my level a little,” Sinner told Movistar. “Especially when the tournament gets serious… You have to raise your level if you want to keep going.”

The Italian admitted he was feeling a little tired after playing so many matches of late.

“Obviously, there’s a bit of fatigue,” said Sinner.

“Mentally, I feel good, but there is some physical tiredness. My body isn’t completely fresh, but that’s normal, and I think it’s a very positive thing for me because it means I’m playing a lot of matches.

“Of course, on Sunday we’ll try to do even better, but whatever happens, I’ve reached another final in a very important tournament.”

Beating Sinner right now seems a near-impossible feat, and the four-time Grand Slam winner started superbly against Barcelona Open winner Fils, who has impressed since returning from injury in February.

The Italian broke in the third game when Fils went long to lead 2-1.

Sinner broke again in the fifth game with Fils, ranked 25th in the world, unable to cope with his sheer power.

The Frenchman has not yet reached a Masters 1000 final, and with Sinner in sumptuous form, it quickly became clear he would have to wait a little longer.

Sinner wrapped up the first set on his serve after Fils found some fighting spirit to prevent a third break.

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The second set was far closer, with Fils rising in confidence and belief.

The 21-year-old saved two break points for a 3-2 lead, and put pressure on Sinner’s next serve, although the Italian produced two aces to hold.

Sinner broke with a down-the-line backhand winner to end an excellent rally for a 5-4 lead and served it out to triumph.

World number three Zverev, in strong form, claimed the first set against Blockx comfortably but struggled to break the Belgian in the second, before eventually finding a way through.

“I’m very happy, of course, to be in a final,” said Zverev, who lifted the trophy in Madrid in 2018 and 2021.

“There were a lot of tough matches, a lot of tough battles… and I’m looking forward to playing Jannik again. Tennis is very, very easy for him right now, the way he is playing. Maybe on Sunday, I will make it a bit more difficult for him.

“He’s the best player in the world for sure, and I’m just trying to give him a tough battle.”

The 29-year-old broke in the first and fifth games to surge into a 5-1 lead against his unseeded opponent.

Underdog Blockx, ranked 69th in the world, resisted strong pressure on his next service game, saving three set points to hold.

However, the dominant Zverev made no mistake with his fourth chance to wrap up the fourth stanza, laying down an ace.

Blockx survived two break points in the first game of the second set, and another in the third as Zverev worked him hard.

The Belgian, who defeated Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals, put up a brave display as he saved two more break points in each of the seventh and ninth games.

Eventually, Zverev took his eighth break point of the second set to nose 6-5 ahead, with a fortuitous net cord that broke Blockx’s resistance.

The German, who has suffered a string of semi-final defeats this season, made it to his first final with a powerful overhead winner.

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Jannik Sinner ended the inspired run of teen home favourite Rafael Jodar with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/0) victory at the Madrid Open on Wednesday to complete his set of semi-finals reached at all nine Masters 1000 tournaments.

The 19-year-old Jodar has taken the tour by storm this clay season, winning a maiden ATP title in Marrakesh, and making the semi-finals in Barcelona and the quarter-finals in Madrid before he was stopped by the world number one at the Caja Magica.

This time last year, Jodar was playing college tennis for the University of Virginia and was ranked 687 in the world. He will crack the top 35 when the new rankings are released on Monday.

Sinner was seriously tested before he extended his current winning streak to 21 consecutive matches.

The world number one will next face recent Barcelona champion Arthur Fils in Friday’s semi-final after the Frenchman skipped past Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-4 to improve to 9-0 on clay this season.

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The first-set scoreline may have read 6-2, but it was far from a routine affair for Sinner, who found himself facing a young opponent who could match his firepower, particularly on the forehand wing.

The Italian was tested in multiple service games, including a marathon one at 2-2, and had to save a pair of break points before he took a one-set lead in 44 minutes.

Leaning on the rowdy home support that included several Real Madrid stars, past and present, Jodar skirted danger at the start of the second set and put pressure on the Sinner serve.

But despite his best efforts, Rafael Jodar couldn’t convert any of the five break points he created as Jannik Sinner forced a tiebreak, and won the last 11 points of the match to advance to his first Madrid semi-final.

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Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a smooth 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday.

The world number one extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has also captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October.

Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against the 169th-ranked Moller.

The Italian broke Moller four times and dropped serve just once late in the opening set to book a last-16 meeting with Cameron Norrie or Thiago Agustin Tirante.

“I tried to stay calm, trying to serve well in the important moments,” Sinner told Tennis TV on court after the win.

“I think today that was the key. And not a lot of rhythm, so I tried to stay quite compact and let’s see what’s coming in the next round.”

Another Italian enjoyed a successful Sunday in the form of Lorenzo Musetti, who overcame Dutch 29th seed Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 7-5.

The sixth-seeded Musetti will face Czech 11th seed Jiri Lehecka for a spot in the quarter-finals.

Earlier in the day, Coco Gauff became the latest victim of the stomach virus that has been sweeping through the draw in Madrid but the ailing American still found a way to beat Sorana Cirstea 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 and reach the round of 16.

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Several players have been struggling with illness in the Spanish capital this week, including Iga Swiatek, who was forced to retire from her match against Ann Li on Saturday, and Marin Cilic, who had to withdraw ahead of his second-round meeting with Joao Fonseca on Friday.

Liudmila Samsonova also pulled out of the tournament on Sunday citing illness ahead of her third-round match with Linda Noskova.

Gauff vomited in a bin on the court during her clash with Cirstea, and asked for a medical timeout during the latter stages of the match before she completed the win in two hours and 21 minutes.

“Yeah, I don’t know, honestly (how I got through that),” said Gauff, who will face Noskova in the last 16.

“I was just trying to finish the match and one point turned into another. I think I got what everybody else is having here in Madrid, unfortunately. So, I’m just going to try to push through for tomorrow.”

A runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka in the Spanish capital 12 months ago, Gauff has 3,300 points to defend on clay from Madrid through to her Roland Garros title defence in early June.

“I pulled out in Indian Wells. I’m not someone who likes to pull out, so I didn’t want to pull out again today. So, I’m glad that I was able to get through it,” added the two-time Grand Slam champion.

“I did start to feel better, not feeling like I had to throw up. They gave me some pills, so that definitely helped.

“But I was really tired.”

Fellow American Jessica Pegula was unable to join Gauff in the next round as the fifth seed suffered a 6-1, 6-4 upset at the hands of Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.

Both players entered the contest riding six-match winning streaks, with Kostyuk clinching a title on red clay in Rouen last week and Pegula successfully defending her Charleston title on green clay earlier this month.

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Jannik Sinner took a first step towards a potential record fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title with a 6-7 (6/8), 6-1, 6-4 victory over Benjamin Bonzi in the Madrid Open second round on Friday.

The Italian world number one is looking to beat the record of four consecutive triumphs held by all-time greats Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal this week in the Spanish capital.

Sinner dropped only one set on the way to trophies in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo, but Bonzi battled brilliantly to claim the first at the Manolo Santana stadium.

The Frenchman survived five break points to reach a tie-break, where he also saved a set point before edging ahead.

However, Sinner stepped up a gear in the second set, securing breaks in the fourth and sixth games, and another in the third on his way to the third round.

“It was a tough match, I had some chances early on, and I couldn’t use them, but this is tennis,” said four-time Grand Slam winner Sinner.

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“It’s not bad to start the tournament like this, two and a half hours on court, it gives me good feedback on where we need to improve for the next round. Of course, we need to improve, but I’m also happy when you’re not playing your best tennis and win, it’s still a good result.”

With Sinner’s biggest rival, Carlos Alcaraz, injured and unable to compete either this week or in the upcoming French Open, the Italian is the overwhelming favourite for every competition he enters in the weeks ahead.

Earlier, Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic sent world number six Ben Shelton crashing out with a 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5) victory.

Promising 20-year-old Prizmic, ranked 87th, secured his first-ever win over a top-10 player in a three-hour battle in the Spanish capital.

American Shelton triumphed at the Munich Open on Sunday on clay but was unable to force a single break point on Prizmic’s serve.

Italian Lorenzo Musetti, ranked ninth, defeated Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).

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