World number two Jannik Sinner did not bring out his best tennis on Monday evening on the Pista Manolo Santana in Madrid, but his production was enough to send him to the round of 16, facing the strong Russian Pavel Kotov, who has everything also had an equalizer with one set everywhere (6-2, 7-5 in 1h38).
He sent a little smile to his clan, Kotov (72nd ATP), when he equalized at 1-1 in the second set. It wasn’t his first play of the match but it was the first time he won his entry. The Russian, manhandled in the first round, would then go up to 5-3 in this set, thanks to his good ball strikes but also thanks to the few mistakes of a Sinner with a hollow face.
However, even below his standards, the winner of the 2024 Australian Open has a certain margin over the competition this year. By tightening the game, he then saved a set point on his serve then broke at the most opportune moment and ultimately lined up the last four games to validate his ticket to the round of 16.
“Some issues with the hip”
The Italian nevertheless admitted some doubts just after his victory: “Every day is different, I had a better feeling with the balls than in the previous round but it was still complicated. I’ve been having some hip issues lately. It’s not a big deal, but some days, like today, I feel the pain more than others. Luckily I have a great team with me. We will then see what is best for my body. »
Tuesday, if all goes well, he will face the winner of the third round also played at night between the Russian Karen Khachanov (17th) and the Italian Flavio Cobolli (64th).
