Photo Source: TTV
Lucky Loser Jesper De Jong was hoping to make history in Rome against Jannik Sinner, as he attempted to become the first Dutchman to defeat a World No.1 in 23 years, and the seventh Lucky Loser to defeat a World No.1 this century.
Sinner had other ideas, however, and the Italian didn’t skip a beat as he stretched his winning streak to 23 with a 6-4, 6-2 victory to reach the round of 16 at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome on Monday afternoon.
De Jong, playing in his first Masters 1000 third round, had his moments, but in the end he was overcome by the firepower and consistency of 23-year-old Sinner, who hit 22 winners and broke serve five times from seven opportunities as he improved to 11-5 lifetime at Rome and 9-0 overall on the season. It was a tale of two Sinner’s through the first eight games, as the Italian started on time and raced out to a 4-1 lead. A magnificent return and forehand got De Jong all the way back from double-break down for 4-all, but Sinner broke back quickly as a De Jong backhand error went flying well long of the baseline.
“I started the match very well and then I had a big drop,” Sinner, who won eight of the final ten games, said. “Fortunately I broke him at four-all again, which then gave me the confidence to continue.”
A perfect first serve and a wonderfully placed crosscourt backhand helped Sinner convert his first set point at the 50-minute mark, 6-4.
A beautiful scrambling point, won on the 31st stroke of the rally with a forehand passing shot that De Jong couldn’t handle, set the tone in the second set, bringing Sinner to 30-all with De Jong serving in the first game.
The Dutchmen held in that game, but soon the floodgates would open.
Sinner broke for 2-1 and De Jong looked to be in dire straits as he tumbled while trying to make a volley in the fifth game. He was covered in clay, and worried about his right wrist, which took the brunt of the fall.
Ever the sportsman, Sinner came to his aid at the net and helped De Jong to his chair, where he was assessed by trainers and cleared to continue. Impressively De Jong finished off a hold for 2-3 before getting another medical treatment on the right wrist at the changeover. It was a brave effort from the World No. 93, who was playing in the third round of a Masters event for the first time, and the crowd inside Campo Centrale let the 24-year-old know they appreciated his efforts.
But he wasn’t the same player after the injury, and his first-serve speed dropped by approximately 15 MPH as Sinner raced through the final three games to close out the contest.
“He hurt himself and it was obvious,” Sinner said. “He’s an amazing player but even more an amazing person – I wish him only the best and we all hope that it’s nothing serious.”
Sinner will face Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday as he bids to make his second quarterfinal in the eternal city. The pair have split four meetings, with Cerundolo winning their last tilt, in Rome in 2023.
“Every day, every challenge, is a tough one,” Sinner said. “Last time I played here, I lost against him on this court. He’s an amazing player, having an amazing season until now, making a great tournament the week before here [in Madrid.]. It’s going to be tough, for sure I’m going to have to raise my level.”
Sinner, who has just two matches under his belt since returning from his three-month suspension, is eager to see how he turns up against one of the hottest players on tour this year.
“It’s exactly these kinds of challenges that I need. I’m trying to understand where my game is, it will be a good challenge and a good test for me and we’ll see how it goes.”