Sinner's engine blows, but only at first – Tennis

Jannik Sinner survived the first round. © ANSA/John J. Mapangelo

Finally sports headlines from Jannik Sinner again: The man from Sixteen made a successful return to the tennis scene at the US Open on Tuesday. At the start of his first round match he was still far from the right track.

August 27, 2024

From: Dal

On Center Court in New York on Tuesday night, all eyes were on Jannik Sinner. The big question was: has the doping scandal surrounding him left its mark on the world number one? In the first sentence, Sinner made exactly that impression. But the South Tyrolean showed his mental strength once again, defeating American Mackenzie McDonald (ATP 140) in four sets, 2:6, 6:2, 6:1, 6:2.

In the first sentence, Sinner showed that the past few days had not left him unscathed. “Of course it's not easy at the moment,” Sinner told Sky after the match. The 23-year-old had major problems, especially with his serve. He often looked unfocused and made too many unforced errors, that is, losing points that were not caused by a good move by the opponent.

By the time Sinner trailed 2-0 in the second set, his fans were already getting worried. But Pusterer showed what he was made of and suddenly found his rhythm. As a result, MacDonald had no chance at all against Sinner's line.

“Of course it's not easy right now.”
Jannik Sinner

“I didn’t start well, but the first match in a major tournament is never easy. I’m happy that I was able to turn the match around,” said Sinner, who celebrated his first win on Centre Court at the US Open after about 2:30 hours of play.

And this is how it goes on.

Sinner continues his participation in the final Grand Slam tournament of the year on Thursday. His opponent in the second round of the US Open is once again the homegrown hero, Alex Michelsen. Sinner recently defeated the world No. 52 in Cincinnati.