Sinner sets Berrettini blockbuster at Wimbledon

  • Posted: Jul 01, 2024

Jannik Sinner faced a tough challenge in the first round of The Championships, but remained calm to defeat German Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 on Monday and set a second-round blockbuster against 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini.

Top-seeded Sinner appeared in full control after two sets, but Hanfmann significantly reduced his mistakes to work his way into the match. Ultimately, the 22-year-old Sinner’s power and poise were too much for the former University of Southern California star in the two-hour, 58-minute encounter.

Despite dropping the third set, Sinner said that he was happy with his strong recovery, adding that he was delighted to be making his Grand Slam debut as the World No. 1 at The All England Club.

“When you go a break down immediately it’s tough to recover but how I reacted in the fourth set was very positive and ending the match in a very positive way hopefully can help me to start the next round,” the Italian said.

“It’s a huge privilege and honour to be in the position that I am and there is no better place than here to play my first Grand Slam as a World No. 1. It’s an amazing feeling, but every match starts at zero, zero and every opponent wants to win, as I do.”

Sinner now leads Hanfmann 2-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with both of his victories coming at majors in the past year. He dropped just five games to the German at last year’s US Open.

The World No. 1 made a quick start to the grass-court season two weeks ago in Halle, where he claimed his first tour-level title on the surface. Sinner has also played well at SW19 in the past, having made last year’s semi-finals.

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He hit a bump in the road against Hanfmann, who hit a backhand winner to go up a double break in the second set and grew in confidence as the match wore on. But Sinner never was in dire straits against the German and converted four of his five break points to move on.

The No. 1 Court roof was closed after the third set, further allowing the Italian to reset and finish the job. The top seed hit 16 aces and 47 total winners in the match.

Sinner will now ready for an even tougher test against Berrettini, the former World No. 6 whose hammer-like serve and big forehand have wreaked havoc on grass for years.

The Italian stars have been the faces of men’s tennis in their country since breaking onto the ATP Tour, but they have only met once. Sinner won their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting last year in Toronto in straight sets.

Looking ahead to his tough second-round showdown, Sinner said, “It’s a tough one for sure. He played the final here and he knows very well how to play on this surface so it’s a big challenge for me.”

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