In a good mood: Andreas Seppi © Andreas Seppi / Ray Giubilio
When the starting shot for the last Grand Slam tournament of the year is given on Monday evening in New York, Jannik Sinner and Andreas Seppi are still on the training ground: The South Tyrolean tennis aces will not contest their first-round match until Tuesday.
30. August 2021
Author: leo
Jannik Sinner is number 13 at the Grand Slam tournament in the United States. Conversely, this means that the 20-year-old will meet a better-ranked player in the fourth round at the earliest. In all likelihood, this would be called Alexander Zverev. But the Sextner does not want to think that far, his focus is fully on the opening match against Max Purcell (ATP 205) – for good reason: Sinner is still waiting for his first success in New York.
In his Grand Slam debut in 2019, the South Tyrolean made the great Stan Wawrinka work up a sweat, last year the youngster slowed down cramps against Karen Khachanov. If Sinner was still the clear outsider in these two games, the starting position is now changing. In the duel with Purcell, which will start around 8:30 p.m. CEST in the Big Apple, he is the big favorite.
Good memories
A success of the 23-year-old Australian, whose strength is the variable game with slice and net attacks, would therefore amount to a sensation – also because he is mostly to be found on the double tour. In any case, the Sextner showed at last year’s Australian Open that he has Purcell under control. At that time Sinner won – after difficulties in the first set – with 7: 6, 6: 2 and 6: 4. In the second round he then lost to Marton Fucsovics.
Ironically, the Marton Fucsovics who called on Andreas Seppi on Tuesday. The Kalterer got an extremely difficult lot at his 18th US Open (!) And the 66th Grand Slam tournament of his incredible career. Fucsovics is playing an impressive season, has won 22 matches in 2021 and reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon – after defeating Sinner at the beginning. Seppi was able to defeat Fucsovics, who is solid in all areas, at Challenger level in 2018, but on the ATP tour it is 2-0 in favor of the man from Budapest. Tuesday (around 6:30 p.m.) will show whether Seppi can still surprise.
