Sinner Needs Six Match Points To Close Umag Victory

Jannik Sinner needed six match points to break the stubborn resistance of Jaume Munar on Wednesday at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, with the drama peaking as the Italian battled through six deuces to serve out a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Playing for the first time since his Wimbledon quarter-final defeat against Novak Djokovic, Sinner continued his high level of play to down Munar in the pair’s first ATP Head2Head meeting. He is through to the quarter-finals at the clay-court ATP 250, where he will face Roberto Carballes Baena.

“It was very tough at the end, but I’m happy that I am into the next round,” Sinner said post-match, before addressing the many Italians in the Umag crowd. “It’s never easy when you come back after some time that you don’t play a match. I knew it would be tough… In the beginning I was tight, also in the end a little bit. But it’s part of the progress and hopefully in the next round I can play better.”

Both players hit top gear for stretches in the nearly two-hour contest, but Sinner was always in control as he never trailed in either set. With both players making just more than 50 per cent of first serves, the match included many lengthy rallies, providing ample opportunity for both men to showcase their shotmaking abilities.

After an opening trade of breaks as both players settled in, Sinner won a hard-fought first set courtesy of a loose service game from Munar at 4-4. While the Italian kept the pressure on in the rallies with his athleticism, including a contorting forehand pass midway through the set, Munar stayed level for much of the proceedings with aggressive baseline hitting and several net approaches.

Sinner fought off more aggressive hitting in the second set, showcasing his movement and defensive skills to secure two early breaks either side of his second dropped service game of the match. He saved two break points as he served out the victory and repeatedly attacked the net in the pressure moments. Sinner was clutch under pressure throughout, saving six of the eight break points against him.

The #NextGenATP Italian will face Carballes Baena in the quarter-finals after the Spaniard earned a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 win against fifth seed Alex Molcan.

Another Spaniard also battled back from behind for an upset win, as Bernabe Zapata Miralles knocked out third seed Holger Rune 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, saving eight of 10 break points in the contest. With the win, Zapata Miralles levelled his clay-court record at 7-7 on the season, while Rune fell to 0-7 since reaching the Roland Garros quarter-finals.

Italy’s Giulio Zeppieri, a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 winner against Daniel Elahi Galan on Wednesday, will face Zapata Miralles in the quarter-finals. The 20-year-old is one of eight #NextGenATP Italians in the Top 20 in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan. Zeppieri is up 20 places to No. 148 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and is poised to enter the Top 150 for the first time.