Jannik Sinner Takes the Positives After a Hard-Fought Second-Round Win in Beijing

Jannik Sinner will face Fabian Marozsan in the quarter-finals of the China Open after triumphing over Terrence Atmane.

Jannik Sinner Takes the Positives After a Hard-Fought Second-Round Win in Beijing

Jannik Sinner (image via Corrine Dubreuil)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Jannik Sinner overcame a scare against Terrence Atmane in the second round of the China Open. The Former World No.1 was pegged back in the second set after the Frenchman produced an excellent performance. But the qualifier failed to keep up with the momentum, as the Italian eventually overcame him in the decider.

Sinner had met Atmane in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open. There, the Italian star didn’t waste time against the Frenchman, winning in straight sets. But on Saturday (September 27), Atmane produced a more measured performance, beating Sinner’s aggression in the second set.

The Frenchman broke Sinner’s serve three times in the second set, frequently rushing the World No.2 with his depth and precision. He claimed the set 7-5, pushing the match to a deciding set. But by then, Sinner had fully regained his composure in the match, forcing the 23-year-old to make unnecessary mistakes.

Atmane was unable to inflict any form of pressure in the third set against Sinner and was unable to earn his first win over the Italian star. Sinner upped his game, winning six consecutive games and then securing his place in the third round of the China Open following a 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 win in two hours and twenty-two minutes.

Sinner was asked during his on-court interview how he managed to dominate the game in the third set after losing the second. The World No.2 revealed that the match was difficult but he had to fight to earn the victory:

Yeah, very difficult. I put in some serve and volleys. At times it worked very well, sometimes not. I also sometimes have to find the right shot also to do it. Sometimes I don’t wait for the right one. But the more things I’m trying to add now, hopefully more positives come in a couple months or so. But again, I try to fight. I’m trying to win as many matches as possible. Being again in the quarters means a lot to me.

Sinner is now into his 13th consecutive hard-court quarter-finals on tour. The China Open is his first tournament since losing the US Open title to Carlos Alcaraz in New York. He has only won two titles this season, both coming in Grand Slam tournaments; he will be seeking his first ATP 500 crown in over a year.

Jannik Sinner focused on improving his game rather than wanting to return to the top of the ATP rankings

Jannik Sinner is seeking to return back to the top of the ATP rankings after losing the position at the US Open. The 24-year-old’s 65-week reign in World No.1 came to an end after he fell to Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open final earlier this month. Elsewhere, Alcaraz is currently competing at the Tokyo Open and he’s the favorite to win the title there.

Jannik Sinner (2)
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

Nonetheless, after beating Terrence Atmane, Sinner revealed that he’s completely focused on adding new things to his game while also getting back to the World No.1 part of his target. He now aims to control proceedings on the court against his opponents:

It’s difficult to add new things to your tennis, but I’ve tried. I served and volleyed a few times, which worked really well sometimes and other times not so much. I feel I need to hit the perfect shot to control that play; many times, I don’t wait for the right moment.

Sinner will face Fabian Marozsan in the quarter-finals of the China Open. Marozsan reached the third round of the ATP 500 tournament after beating Alexander Muller in straight sets. The Italian star is the favorite to win the match as he has won 61 consecutive matches against players ranked outside the Top 10.

Also Read: Jessica Pegula’s Coach Makes Bold Prediction About Novak Djokovic’s Retirement