Unbeaten Jannik Sinner remained unbeaten after the Rotterdam Open final, in which he defeated Alex de Minaur in two sets.
Sinner arrived in Rotterdam without any losses this year because the only event before the ATP 500 tournament in Rotterdam he did play, the Australian Open, was won by him.
The Italian used his familiarity with the event to put together a really solid week of tennis, ending up in the final for the second year in a row.
The opponent was Alex de Minaur, a player he bested in all six of their previous matches, and number 7 didn't bring anything different. It's a very favorable matchup for Sinner because he's a much better baseline player than the Australian.
De Minaur is improving in that regard, but he's not there yet, and in Rotterdam, his speed can only get him so far. The opening set was a battle, but Sinner was finding his footing for a while.
He did take an early break but then wasted several set points later. Eventually, he would win the set 7-5, but he could have won it much sooner, 6-4.
The second set was quite similar, as Sinner once again took a break early. He lost it, but then broke once more and, this time around, kept it for the cool and easy finish, winning the final match 7-5, 6-4.
De Minaur played a smart match. He served well and attacked Sinner's second serve about as well as a player can hope. He created several break chances and broke the Italian twice, but he simply wasn't good enough.
It happens because, realistically, Sinner is on a Top 3 level, and maybe even above that, as he's the only undefeated player this year, which is a bit too much for the Australian right now.
With the win, Sinner actually makes his Top 3 debut official, as he'll overtake Daniil Medvedev on Monday. His second trophy of the year, and he is still unbeaten with a 12-0 record overall.
0 Comments