Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev respectively surprised by Francisco Cerundolo and Yannick Hanfmann from the round of 16

Sinner was too short

The Italian public was not enough. Jannik Sinner will not be at the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 in Rome. The Italian, world number 8, was surprised by a gala Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday. The Argentinian, 31st in the ATP rankings, showed great character to overthrow his opponent 6-7, 6-2, 6-2 in 2h25 of play. For his 3rd quarter in Masters 1000, the first on clay, he will face Casper Ruud, easy scorer of Laslo Djere (6-1, 6-3).

It’s a blow for a whole people. While he had skipped Madrid to recharge the batteries and arrive as fit as possible in Rome, Jannik Sinner is no longer in the running. Semi-finalist at least in the first three Masters 1000 of the year, he therefore experienced a real setback, the fault in particular of too much waste (more than 40 unforced errors).

But it would be unfair not to highlight the merit of Francisco Cerundolo, who did not seem bothered by the weight of the Italian ball, quite the contrary. After giving in to the tie-break in the first set where he had come up a late break twice, the Argentinian could have collapsed. It has not happened. On the contrary, he returned to the fight and sickened a Sinner, quickly left behind in the last two acts.

Hanfmann, the new sensation

Madrid had had its share of surprises a few days ago. Zhang Zhizhen and Daniel Altmaier had, for example, discovered the quarter-finals in the Masters 1000. This will also be the case for Yannick Hanfmann in Rome, even if the playing conditions there are much more traditional (no altitude). Tuesday, Yannick Hanfmann, 101st in the world, created a nice surprise by offering himself the scalp of Andrey Rublev, number 6 at the ATP, in three sets (7-6, 4-6, 6-3) and 2h33 of eighth game.

Already in verve on the side of Caja Magica where he had won four matches (including qualifying) including one against Lorenzo Musetti to join the 3rd round, Hanfmann admirably seized his chance, after having already dismissed Taylor Fritz (seeded N.9 ) in the 2nd round. Admittedly, Rublev, titled in Monte-Carlo, did not evolve at his best level, but the German went for his victory. Author of 43 winning strokes, he caused his success until the end and a final ace as a symbol. A breath of fresh air is blowing on the ATP circuit.