Absent since his US Open victory, Jannik Sinner returned to competition with a victory against Nicolas Jarry in three sets at the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing.
Twelfth victory in a row for Jannik Sinner! Winner of the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati and then the US Open, the world number 1 continued his streak by winning his first match on the Asian tour, against Nicolas Jarry in Beijing. In this extremely tough ATP 500 tournament where no player is exempt from the first round, the Italian was up against the world number 28 from the start, and he dropped the first set before winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in 1h55. Sinner suffered in particular on the Chilean’s serve, author of 12 aces, but he ended up having the last word. “The first round of a tournament is never easy and playing against him is very difficult. But I’m happy with my performance and the way I finished the match,” he admitted after the encounter.
A victory for his late aunt
Jarry, perhaps more accustomed to the playing conditions as he played in the Chengdu tournament last week, started the match better and broke at 3-3 to win the first set. But Sinner was quick to wake up. From the Chilean’s first service game in the second set, he managed to break him on his third opportunity, then he led 4-1 and 5-2, before closing on his second set point at 5-3.
The third set was even easier for the world number 1, who broke early, then at 3-1. He saved three points at 4-2, and finally managed a final break at 5-1 to win on his second match point. A match point followed by a look and a kiss towards the sky, he who learned upon arriving in China of the death of his aunt, aged 56, to whom he had paid tribute during his victory at the US Open, knowing that she was at the end of her life. Defending champion in Beijing, Jannik Sinner will face Jan-Lennard Struff or Stan Wawrinka in the second round, who will face each other on Friday.
