Sinner breezes through in Rotterdam
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands: Newly crowned Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner eased into the second round of the Rotterdam Open on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).
The 22-year-old Italian beat Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-3 and has now won his past 11 matches.
Sinner will face two-time champion
Gael Monfils in the next round after the Frenchman beat Denis Shapovalov in straight sets, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5).
“I’ve been working a lot in Monaco but I wanted to come here and feel the court. I’m happy to get my first win here over a really great player,” Sinner said.
“It’s a little bit different (playing as a Grand Slam champion) and you have to be prepared for your opponents to know you better and know your weaknesses more, so you have to be prepared to work hard and be ready.”
Sinner has now won 25 of his past 27 matches, a run that includes three wins over Novak Djokovic, including in the semifinals of the Australian Open.
The Italian will rise to three in the world rankings should he win the title on Sunday.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, Danish third seed Holger Rune needed three sets to see off Roman Safiullin of Russia 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, firing 31 winners with nine aces.
French seventh seed Ugo Humbert, who was champion in Marseille on Sunday, slumped to a 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3 loss to Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori.
Marseille runner-up Grigor Dimitrov, seeded sixth, saw off Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.
Russian second seed Andrey Rublev made the last 16 with a tough 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 win over Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada.
Rublev had to save three match points in the 10th game of the decider.