Jannik Sinner digs deep to reach Monte Carlo quarter-finals, Casper Ruud stunned
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Jannik Sinner during his third round match against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on April 13.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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MONTE CARLO – Jannik Sinner was made to toil by Hubert Hurkacz as the Italian seventh seed saved a match point to seal a 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1 victory at the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday and book his spot in the quarter-finals.
With sprint great Usain Bolt in the stands, Hurkacz raced to a 3-0 lead before Sinner got on the board and the world No. 13 wobbled towards the end of the opening set before wrapping it up with two fiery first serves.
Sinner, a Monte Carlo quarter-finalist in 2022, found himself in more trouble shortly after the second set began but the 21-year-old hit back after dropping serve to grab a break and level at 2-2.
Hurkacz raised his game to force a tiebreak and looked in control but the scrappy Sinner saved a match point and dragged the contest into a decider.
The Italian then got his nose in front and held firm to complete the win as Hurkacz faded.
Said Sinner: “It was a very tough match. Playing against him, I knew already from the beginning that it was very tough to get into the rhythm.
“I think he served incredible in the first 1½ sets, and when I broke him the first time, the momentum changed a little bit.
“He also had match point. These kinds of matches can go both ways, I’m happy that it went my way, and happy that I can play at least one more match (here).”
German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff earlier stunned fourth seed Casper Ruud 6-1, 7-6 (8-6), ending the Estoril champion’s nine-match winning streak on clay stretching back to last July.
Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 6-4 while Andrey Rublev earned his 50th tour-level win by beating close friend Karen Khachanov 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.
Said Rublev: “We know each other too well. The first set was only mental. We didn’t show some tennis skills.”
Italian Matteo Berrettini earlier withdrew from his meeting with sixth seed Holger Rune due to an abdominal injury, sending the Danish teenager through to the last eight.
In-form third seed Daniil Medvedev, the winner of four hard-court tournaments in 2023, took on Alexander Zverev in the pair’s first clay-court meeting while world No. 1 Novak Djokovic met Lorenzo Musetti.
Both results were not available at press time. REUTERS
