Sinner Remains Sensational In Rotterdam, 12-Match Win Streak

Jannik Sinner, ATP Tour, Rotterdam
Jannik Sinner (photo: ATP Tour video)

ROTTERDAM/WASHINGTON, February 15, 2024 (by Michael Dickens)

Top seed Jannik Sinner gave fans attending the ATP 500 ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam, the Netherlands’ second-largest city, what they came to see: a winning effort.

On Thursday evening, the World No. 4 Sinner won his 12th straight match with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory over 70th-ranked Gaël Monfils. The 37-year-old French star didn’t disappoint. He put on an entertaining show over the duration of the two-hour and 52-minute match with his acrobatic athleticism and shot-making magic.

However, in the end, Monfils was no match for the younger and steadier Sinner, who advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals against former World No. 3 Milos Raonic of Canada. The loss ended an 11-match winning streak for Monfils in Rotterdam, where he won back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020.

The 22-year-old Italian from the South Tyrol came into his second-round match with Monfils riding an 11-match winning streak of his own dating to the end of last season, and he had won 25 of his past 27 matches, a run that included three victories over World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

“Gaël is a very dangerous opponent,” Sinner said in an on-court interview Wednesday evening after defeating Dutch No. 2 Botic van de Zandschulp, 6-3, 6-3. “It doesn’t matter where you play him. He’ll be a fan favorite for sure, but it’s part of the game and you have to accept it. It’s always a really tough match when we play. He’s playing great. I saw some of his first-round match and he played really, really well.”

Sinner arrived last Friday in Rotterdam, a young and dynamic city known for its modern architecture and impressive harbor.

“We worked for this moment, to come back and play in front of the fans,” said Sinner, a finalist in Rotterdam last year. “Obviously, we’ve been working a lot in Monaco but I wanted to come here and feel the court a little bit. I’m happy about my first win here. It was tough. He’s a really, really good player. I was looking forward to it. The first one is always a little bit different. Let’s see what is coming in the next round.”

Against Monfils, Sinner took advantage of break points won in both the first and third sets and they proved the difference. He overcame 18 unforced errors by hitting 14 winners and benefited from 36 unforced errors by Monfils. Sinner outpointed his opponent 83-69.

Sinner, who won his first major at the Australian Open last month, was asked if he’s grown accustomed to the extra attention now that he’s won a Grand Slam title. “Yes, for sure. It’s a little different than it was before,” he explained. “But in other ways, you have to be prepared as a player because the opponents know you better, they know your weaknesses a little bit more. So, you have to work on this and try to be ready. That’s what we’ve tried to do.

“For sure, every match has its own story.”

After beating Monfils, Sinner is now 25-1 in his last 26 matches against French opponents (26-5 overall), and 30-2 versus players outside Top 50 since the start of 2023.

“It was one shaky game of mine in the second set and things changed so fast,” Sinner said afterward in his on-court interview. “I still believe that these kinds of matches, they help you a lot, especially on the mental part. When you don’t play your best tennis and you still try somehow to find the way to win.

“Against him, it is never easy, I have the feeling we know each other a little bit better now, and he changed some things, as I do, and today went my way.”

Shevchenko gains career-best win with upset of Rune

No. 57 Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan earned the biggest win of his young career by ranking with his upset of World No. 7 Holger Rune of Denmark, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, in an hour and 36 minutes Thursday afternoon.

“[It’s the ] best win in my career so far,” Shevchenko, 23,  said during his on-court interview. “I had one against Taylor Fritz, it was that one [until now], but today is probably the best one. It tastes sweeter when I take revenge from the Brisbane match [against Rune].”

The third seed Rune beat Shevchenko last month in the second round at Brisbane, but in Rotterdam it was a different story. Shevchenko hit 19 winners, won 81 percent of his first-serve points and converted two of three break points. He withstood 28 winners from Rune. Despite winning, Shevchenko was outpointed 77-70.

In Friday’s quarterfinal round, Shevchenko will face No. 6 seed Grigor Dimitrov. The World No. 13 from Bulgaria, in his 11th Rotterdam appearance, advanced with a 6-3, 7-5 win over No. 86 Marton Fucsovics of Hungary in an hour and 28 minutes, in back of 20 winners and an 80-percent efficiency of winning points on his serve. The loss denied the Hungarian of reaching his 150th career tour-level win. Meanwhile, Dimitrov improved to 12-2 overall this season and 28-3 versus players ranked outside the Top 50 since the start of the 2023 season.

Griekspoor wins slugfest battle against Hurkacz

No. 29 Tallon Griekspoor, the only Dutch player left in the singles draw, garnered the biggest win of his career with his 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) upset of World No. 8 and fourth seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland.

The two-hour, 34-minute slugfest produced just two breaks between the competitors, but there was plenty of powerful tennis on display. Griekspoor fired 23 aces and slammed 52 winners overall, including an overhead smash on match point during the third-set tie-break. Hurkacz countered with 46 winners, including 28 aces, but it wasn’t enough to reach his first Rotterdam quarterfinal.

Griekspoor improved to 13-1 in the Netherlands since the start of 2023. He reached the semifinal in Rotterdam last year, then won his second ATP Tour title on grass in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last June. He has also won three Davis Cup singles wins at home.

The victory over Hurkacz, which was Griekspoor’s second against a Top 10 player and fifth Top 20 triumph at the Rotterdam Ahoy, advanced him to Friday’s quarterfinal round against No. 55 Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland, who eliminated No. 25 Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany, 6-3, 6-3, in an hour and six minutes behind five aces and 17 winners. Ruusuvuori is through to his second quarterfinal of the season and 13th of his career.

Around the Rotterdam Ahoy

No. 1 seeds Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Austin Krajicek of the United States rallied to advance to the doubles semifinals with a 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 victory over Andreas Mies of Germany and John-Patrick Smith of Australia. The winners combined to hit seven aces and won 82 percent of their first-serve points. Also, Dutch wild cards Robin Haase and Botic van de Zandschulp defeated Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan and Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, 6-4, 6-2.

On Wednesday evening, the No. 4 seeds, Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vaselin of France were upset by the Austrian duo Alexander Euler and Lucas Miedler, 6-7 (1), 7-5, 10-8. On Friday, Erler and Miedler will face Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands and Nikola Mektic of Croatia for the last semifinal berth.

Thursday’s ABN AMRO Open results

Friday’s ABN AMRO Open order of play

By the numbers

Grigor Dimitrov can return inside Top 10 for the first time since 2018 by winning the Rotterdam title on Sunday. He has reached the final in three of his last four events played.

“Quotable …”

“I think I was more aggressive against him in the first set. Then, he stepped up his game really well, started to be more aggressive and go more to the net. That kind of tricked me.

“I think in the third set it was quite open. I think I got lucky in a way with the break point, and I think he was maybe a little bit the better player in the third set, but luck was on my side.”

— Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan, during his on-court interview, following his second-round upset of World No. 7 Holger Rune on Thursday.

 

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