The Italian Jannik Sinner, world number 4, dominated the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (6) in two sets, for a double 6-4, in the first match of the ATP Finals, a tournament that closes the season in Turin with the eight best tennis players on the circuit.
Sinner, in his second appearance at the Alpitour shovel from Turin, in which these ATP Finals are held, although for the first time as a qualifier – the previous time as a substitute -, he received the warmth of the public, hailed as the local mass idol who unites the hopes of Italian tennis, who helped the young tennis player from 22 years to reduce the gap with Tsitsipas who had the measure of him, since out of 7 games he had won 5.
Until this Sunday, the Italian began in the best possible way the tournament that puts the finishing touch to the season, in which he recorded 57 victories and 14 defeats, lifting 4 titles, including his first victory in a Masters 1,000, in Toronto.
It was, however, Tsitsipas who struck the first blow in the confrontation with a first blank game that seemed to remove any type of doubt about his physical state after he could not train normally in the days before the duel, due to back discomfort.
The Greek tennis player came out strong in Sinner’s territory, who was not intimidated by the champion of the 2019 edition and, guided by his serve, with up to five ‘aces’ in the first bid – 4 in the second -, he recomposed himself to, shortly after, break his rival and take a 3-2 lead, putting the first set on track that he ended up winning by inertia (6-4).
The truth is that the Greek, who arrived in Turin after having reached three consecutive semifinals (Antwerp, Vienna, Paris), was not comfortable on the track. Much looser, however, a Sinner was seen convinced of his chances of victory at the premiere of the Green Group which also includes the Serbian Novak Djokovic and the Dane Holger Rune.
Tsitsipas began the second set, in fact, giving up his serve before the precision of a Sinner who confirmed the ‘break‘ with authority, with a blank game that made it 2-0, and that had it in his power to make it 3-0 with another break that Tsitsipas lifted when it seemed impossible, when the scoreboard showed 0-40 against him and when he seemed to be physically worse.
But the Greek did not give up and kept Sinner tied short on the scoreboard, although not in the game, and could not stop the attacks of a clinical Sinner who raised the Pala Alpitour public with a lob that ended right on the line to put your victory on track and established himself as the owner of the match, which he closed with another blow of authority, his ninth direct serve, which showed his superiority on the day.
The local idol in Turin started in an unbeatable way. Sinner tamed Tsitsipas in two sets, An important fact given the format of the tournament in which each set counts, in the individual premiere of the ATP Finals, a match that kicked off the tournament that brings together the eight best rackets on the circuit. Tonight (9:00 p.m. CEST), it will be Djokovic’s turn against Rune.