Jannik Sinner lost out to Stefanos Tsitsipas. © APA / afp / ANDREAS SOLARO
Jannik Sinner was the only tennis player from Italy to make it to the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 tournament in Rome. But on Friday it was also the end of the line for the Pusterer youngster: Sinner had to admit defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
13. May 2022
From: dl
It was the 5th meeting between Sinner (ATP 13) and the number 5 in the world rankings – and the 3rd in Rome. In the end, Tsitsipas left the field as the winner for the fourth time. At around 30 degrees Celsius, the 23-year-old Greek won in two sets 7:6(5) and 6:2. This is also because Sinner was unable to keep up in the second round due to physical problems.
But first things first: The first set didn’t start well for Sinner. The South Tyrolean had to give up his first service game. But Sinner didn’t let that faze him, fought back and equalized to make it 3:3. From now on, the first round was very balanced. Both players were extremely dependent on their first serve. If they didn’t bring this into the field, the point usually went to the opponent.
The level then got better as time went on. But Sinner kept oscillating between light and shadow. There was everything between impressive shots and rather careless mistakes. Finally, the first round went into a tie-break. Tsitsipas kept his nerve on the big points while Sinner made a double fault. That’s one of the reasons why the Greek won the tie-break by a narrow margin of 7:5.
Sinner is tormented
Before the second sentence, Sinner took a medical time-out. The sextner had his left hip treated. Apparently, Sinner also pinched his thigh. Sinner noticed this in the second round. The 20-year-old no longer seemed mobile and kept communicating with his coach Simone Vagnozzi.
Stefanos Tsitsipas won in straight sets. © ANSA / ETTORE FERRARI
The spectators in the sold-out Center Court tried to cheer up Sinner again and again with “Jannik” chants. But the Pusterer was no longer running smoothly and could no longer keep up with the pace of his opponent. Although Sinner tried to get everything out of himself again, Tsitsipas made short work of it in the second round and converted his second match point after 2:20 hours.
A moment of shock
Before Tsitsipas’ second match ball, the game was interrupted for around 15 minutes. A spectator in the stands collapsed due to the extreme heat. The paramedics then took care of him. Because the referee initially wanted to continue playing, there were loud whistles on the Campo Centrale. It is not yet clear what the condition of the viewer is.
Despite the defeat: The spectators in Rome celebrated Jannik Sinner. © ANSA / ETTORE FERRARI
In the semifinals, Tsitsipas will now meet Alexander Zverev (ATP 3) on Saturday. The German had previously clearly defeated Chilean Christian Garin in two sets. In the other quarter-finals on Friday, Denis Shapovalov and Casper Ruud or Novak Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime will face each other.
