(Paris) Jannik Sinner confirmed his place as world number one with a clinching victory 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-2 at the expense of the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor (27th), Tuesday in Halle, a preparatory grass tournament for Wimbledon.
The 22-year-old Italian, beaten in the semi-final of Roland-Garros by future winner Carlos Alcaraz, a performance which nevertheless allowed him to dethrone Novak Djokovic at the top of the ATP, did not have an easy game for his return to school, after a ten-day break.
He could have made life easier by converting two first-round balls in the tiebreaker, ultimately removed by his opponent. Griekspoor then had three opportunities to steal the serve in the second set at 2-2, at which point Sinner was able to raise his level of play to then go it alone.
The winner of the last Australian Open won the best point of the match, synonymous with the first break in the second set, by succeeding with a brushed shot at the end of the race after a dive. He will face the Hungarian Fabian Marozsan (45th in the world) in the next round.
