Winning debut in the Principality tournament in front of the former US track and field champion. Berrettini also advances and now challenges Medvedev
Red clay isn’t that bad he must have thought Jannik Sinner after beating the Frenchman Ugo Humbert in just 64 minutes, literally swept away by the South Tyrolean with a 6-3, 6-0 which says everything about the progress of the match. A worry-free debut therefore for Jannik Sinner in Monte Carlo, in the first seasonal Masters 1000 on clay: n. 2 in the world, who by winning the tournament would return to the top of the rankings, has also updated the numbers in the Masters 1000 tournaments: with the success over Humbert 18 consecutive victories with 36 sets in a row. Also attending Sinner’s match was the former track and field champion Usain Bolt who congratulated Jannik after the victory: “He’s a very normal person, success has never changed him. At the end of his career he starts a new life, I feel good with them.” Sinner is also happy with his performance with Humbert: “It was a good performance, we need to change the style of play and adapt to the circumstances. I’m trying to improve my condition in view of Paris, I’m happy with how I had this transition. It was not an easy match, he is a left-handed player who serves well. The goal is Roland Garroshere we play one game at a time. But I’m happy with how I played today.”
The match
Humbert chooses an attacking tactic to try to shorten the rallies, but the serve doesn’t work as he would like and two breaks in the fifth and ninth game give Sinner the first setwhile in the second there is really no story. Sinner’s pace is too high for the Frenchman even if the service percentages of the world number two are not at the level of those shown on the fast player in Indian Wells and Miami: 62% is a figure that will need to be improved in Monte Carlo, but above all in Rome and Paris, which are the events that come after the tournament in the Principality and the ones that Sinner cares about most after the two defeats suffered last year against Carlos Alcaraz. Next opponent, Thursday, the winner of tomorrow’s match between Francisco Cerundolo and Machac.
Berrettini also wins
Winning debut in Monte Carlo also Matteo Berrettini. The Roman won by playing only 4 sets as the Spaniard was 4-0 in his favour Bautista Agut was forced to retire. For Berrettini, who will be on the pitch tomorrow, there will be a challenge against Daniil Medvedev for a place in the round of 16: it will be the fourth direct match between the two, all in favor of the Russian but all quite old (the last dates back to 2022).
