Jannik Sinner bested lucky loser Jesper de Jong by 6-4, 6-2 at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome on Monday. The Dutch player struggled with his wrist injury and received a medical time out in the first set at 2-3 in the first set.
Sinner took a 4-1 lead in the opening set but de Jong was able to bounce back into the contest to make it 4-4. However, the Italian was able to get a break in the ninth game of the set and took the lead.
In the second set, Sinner broke the World No.93 serve in the third game and didn’t turn back from there. With his one-hour, 35-minute win, Sinner extended his winning streak to 23 matches.
“It was a completely different match from the first one, different conditions,” Sinner said. “I felt like I started the match very well and then I had a drop and he played a bit better. I tried to understand what was going on and fortunately I broke him at 4-4 again, which gave me confidence to continue. The second set went how it went. He injured himself. He is an amazing player and more of an amazing person and I wish him all the best and I hope it is nothing too serious.”
Sinner will next face Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in the next round.
On the other hand, Matteo Berrettini had to retire in his match against Casper Ruud. The Norwegian, who recently won the Madrid Open, felt sorry for the Italian, who has been struggling with injuries.
“I feel so bad for him because this is where he’s from, his home Masters 1000,” said Ruud, who signed the camera ‘Sorry Matteo. Feel better!’ “I know he hasn’t played since 2021 because of other injuries.
“I know he’s worked hard to come back and now he gets another setback. I hope it’s not a long thing for him. I hope he can fix it soon and have a speedy recover. He’s a hell of a player.”
