Jannik Sinner overcomes Alexander Shevchenko to reach the third round in Rome - UBITENNIS
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Jannik Sinner overcomes Alexander Shevchenko to reach the third round in Rome

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Jannik Sinner battled past Alexander Shevchenko 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 in the night match to set up a third round match against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. 

 

Shevchenko earned an early break in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. Sinner broke straight back in the third game. Sinner broke twice in the seventh and ninth games to win the first set 6-3. 

Shevchenko went up an immediate break in the first game of the second set to take a 2-0 lead.  Sinner fended off a break point in the fifth game. The Italian star was not able to convert two break points in the 14-point eighth game, but he broke back in the tenth game to draw level to 5-5. 

Sinner went up a 2-1 lead in the tie-break, but Shevchenko won five consecutive points to take a 6-2 lead. The Russian player sealed the tie-break 7-4 on his third set point. 

The third set went on serve until the fifth game, when Sinner converted his first break point to take a 3-2 lead. The Italian held serve in the sixth game before earning his second break to take a 5-2 lead, when Shevchenko hit a forehand into the net. Sinner went down 0-40 when he was serving for the match, but he saved three break points to hold serve on his first match point. 

“I think I was quite in the zone, trying to play every point in the maximum. I missed a couple of points, especially in the second set and in the tie-break, but you have to cut this part away, and then try to be ready for the third set, which I have done. I reacted very well”, said Sinner. 

Stefanos Tsitsipas advannced to the third round with a 6-3 6-3 win over Nuno Borges. 

Tsitsipas was leading by a set and a break at 6-3 4-3 when the match was suspended by rain on Saturday. As the match resumed on Sunday, Tsitsipas won 8 of the 11 points to seal the win in straight sets.

Tsitsipas set up a third round match against Lorenzo Sonego. 

Holger Rune cruised past Fabio Fognini 6-4 6-2 in 1 hour and 16 minutes. Rune broke serve twice in the third and fifth games to open up a 5-2 lead. Fognini pulled one break back in the eighth game to close the gap to 4-5, as Rune hit a smash into the net cord wide. Rune held serve with a forehand in the 10th game to serve out the first set on his second opportunity. 

Rune broke twice in the first and third games to open up a 3-0 lead in the second set and held on his next service games to win the second set 6-2. 

Alexander Zverev came back from one set down to beat David Goffin 5-7 6-3 6-4 in a clash between two former top 10 setting up a third round match against J.J Wolf. 

Zverev earned an immediate break in the first game, but Goffin pulled back on serve in the second game. Zverev took control of the match by earning two consecutive breaks in the third and fifth games to open up a 4-1 lead. Goffin pulled one of the breaks back for 2-4. Zverev earned two set points at 5-4, but he was not able to convert them. Goffin won four consecutive games from 3-5 down with two breaks to close out the first set 7-5. 

Goffin won his sixth consecutive game from 3-5 down to open up a 2-0 lead in the second set with a break in the second game. Zverev broke straight back in the third game and held serve to draw level to 2-2. Zverev converted his fourth break point in the seventh game to take a 4-3 lead. The German player sealed the second set 6-3 with another break in the ninth game. 

The third set went on serve. Zverev was not able to convert two break points in the second game. The German player closed out the match with a a break on his first match point in the 10th game when Goffin made an unforced error. 

Casper Ruud edged Alexander Bublik 6-1 4-6 7-6 (7-0) in an entertaining match to reach the fourth round. Ruud broke serve in the second and fourth games to win the first set 6-1. Both players went on serve until the 10th game when Bublik broke Ruud to win the second set 6-4 forcing the match to the decider. The third set went on serve en route to the tie-break. Ruud earned four mini-breaks to win the tie-break without dropping a point. Ruud reached the semifinals in his past two appearances in Rome. 

“It’s been a very good tournament for me in my career. I have reached the semifinals twice and I lost to Novak Djokovic both times. It shows that I have been beating a lot of players up until facimg one of the best ever”, said Ruud. 

Lorenzo Musetti beat Matteo Arnaldi 6-4 6-4 in the all-Italian match. Arnaldi saved four break points in the fifth game of the first set, but Musetti converted his fifth chance to take a 3-2 lead. As the 2022 Hamburg and Neaples champion served for the first set at 5-4, he had to save two break points. He won four consecutive points from 15-40 to seal the first set 6-4. 

Musetti broke serve in the third game. He did convert a break point in the fifth point and came back from 0-30 down to seal the win on his second match point.  

ATP

Roland Garros Daily Preview: Swiatek, Krejcikova, Azarenka, Andreescu Play on Tuesday

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A look at the grounds of the French Open (twitter.com/rolandgarros)

Day 3 in Paris sees the conclusion of first round singles play.

 

Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka plays US Open champ Bianca Andreescu in a matchup that headlines Tuesday’s Order of Play.  Day 3 also features the 2023 Roland Garros debuts of the two most recent women’s singles champions: Iga Swiatek and Barbora Krejcikova.  Other action includes standouts from this season such as Daniil Medvedev, Elena Rybakina, and Holger Rune.  Plus, last year’s singles finalists, Coco Gauff and Casper Ruud, will both play their opening matches.

Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule.  Tuesday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.


Lesia Tsurenko vs. Barbora Krejcikova (13) – Second on Court 7

Krejcikova was the champion here two years ago in both singles and doubles.  An elbow injury derailed her career last season, but she’s 20-10 in 2023, having won a WTA 1000 title in Dubai.  However, she’s only 5-4 this year on clay, so she does not arrive in Paris with much momentum.

Tsurenko celebrates her 34th birthday on Tuesday, and was a US Open quarterfinalist in 2018.  She is an impressive 25-8 this season at all levels (including qualifying matches, which don’t officially count).  At Indian Wells, the Ukrainian withdrew from her match with Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka, citing a panic attack after what she described as shocking comments regarding the war in Ukraine from WTA CEO Steve Simon.

Their first career meeting is a tricky first round draw for the 2021 champion.  Yet Krejcikova remains the favorite to advance, and is a potential fourth round draw for the 2020 and 2022 champion, Iga Swiatek.


Iga Swiatek (1) vs. Cristina Bucsa – Third on Court Philippe-Chatrier

Swiatek is 28-6 on the year, and 12-2 on clay.  She’s 21-2 lifetime at Roland Garros, having won 42 of 48 sets contested.  But is Iga 100% healthy?  Just over a week ago in Rome, she retired during the third set of her quarterfinal against Elena Rybakina, citing a thigh injury.  However, she’s indicated it is not a considerable injury.

Bucsa is a 25-year-old from Spain who upset Bianca Andreescu at the last Major in Melbourne, coming from a set down to win 6-4 in the third, after saving a match point in the second.  But in the very next round, she only managed one game against her opponent on this day, Swiatek.

On Tuesday, a similarly-comfortable victory should be expected from Iga.


Holger Rune (6) vs. Christopher Eubanks – Third on Court Simonne-Mathieu

Rune made his big breakthrough at this tournament a year ago, achieving his first Major quarterfinal thanks to upsets over Denis Shapovalov and Stefanos Tsitsipas.  And the recently-turned-20-year-old has continued to make strong strides ever since, winning the Masters 1000 event in Bercy by outlasting Novak Djokovic in the final, and reaching two Masters finals on clay this season.  Holger is now 27-10 in 2023.

Eubanks made a breakthrough of his own two months ago in Miami, where he came through qualifying and advanced all the way to the round of 16, achieving a career goal of cracking the top 100.  The 27-year-old is now ranked 74th, but has still spent the majority of the past year on the Challenger circuit.  The tall American has a big serve, and is not the easiest of opening round draws.

In their first career meeting, Rune is a clear favorite.  However, I am curious to see how Holger handles this moment, as this is the first time in his young career that he is defending a result quite as big as his quarterfinal appearance from 2022.


Victoria Azarenka (18) vs. Bianca Andreescu – Last on Court Simonne-Mathieu

This is a marquee first-round encounter, though neither player comes into this tournament with much form, nor would either refer to clay as their favorite surface.  Azarenka is 13-9 on the year, and just 2-2 on clay, after withdrawing from Rome due to a right leg injury.  Andreescu is just 9-9 on the year, and 0-2 on clay, coming off a 6-0, 6-1 loss to Marketa Vondrousova in Rome.

Vika is 28-15 lifetime in Paris, having reached a semifinal 10 years ago.  Bibi is only 2-2 in Paris, and is yet to advance beyond the second round at any Major outside of New York.  So in another first-time meeting on the day, Azarenka must be favored to advance.


Other Notable Matches on Tuesday:

Elias Ymer (Q) vs. Casper Ruud (4) – Ruud reached two Major finals last season, but is just 16-11 in 2023, and would fall out of the top five with an early loss in Paris.  Elias is the elder brother of another tennis pro, Mikael, and his only career win at a Slam came at this event.  When they met four years ago at a hard court Challenger in Phoenix, Casper prevailed in three sets.

Thiago Seyboth Wild (Q) vs. Daniil Medvedev (2) – Medvedev is a stellar 39-5 on the year, and coming off a surprising Masters 1000 title on clay in Rome.  Seyboth Wild has accumulated 36 match wins at all levels this year, all on clay.

Rebeka Masarova vs. Coco Gauff (6) – Gauff is 19-8 this year, yet is yet to win back-to-back matches in 2023 on clay.  But Coco did win a hard court title to begin this season, defeating 23-year-old Masarova in the final of Auckland by a score of 6-1, 6-1. 

Elena Rybakina (4) vs. Brenda Fruhvirtova (Q) – Rybakina is 30-7 this season, and just a week ago claimed the WTA 1000 title in Rome.  Brenda and her sister Linda are two teenage Czech teenagers making strong strides in the sport at a very early age.


Tuesday’s full Order of Play is here.

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Felix Auger-Aliassime Reveals Sickness and Injury After Roland Garros exit

Felix Auger-Aliassime revealed that sickness and a shoulder injury played a part in his straight sets defeat to Fabio Fognini at Roland Garros.

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Felix Auger-Aliassime (@WeeseSports - Twitter)

Felix Auger-Aliassime’s poor 2023 season has continued at Roland Garros after a straight sets defeat against Fabio Fognini.

 

The Canadian lost convincingly to charismatic Italian Fabio Fognini 6-4 6-4 6-3 as he exited Roland Garros in the opening round.

The result means Auger-Aliassime has failed to win back-to-back matches since Indian Wells as he now turns to the grass court season.

However it would appear that there is reason behind Auger-Aliassime’s poor form and opening round exit in Paris.

That’s because the Canadian has revealed that a shoulder injury and sickness have had an effect on him and cited those reasons for defeat, “I mean, the shoulder is not great, but that wasn’t the issue today. I got a bit
sick last night, didn’t really sleep. Yeah, sick all night. That’s just a reality,”
the Canadian said in his press conference.

“I mean, I woke up this morning trying — I mean, it’s like I’ve been struggling with a few things, and it’s like, can you believe it, I get sick the day before my match? I tried to warm up. I tried to see the doctor, see what I could take, but after one set, you know, just cramping and just can’t move anymore.

“I wasn’t sure whether I should keep going or give myself a shot or if I should stop. It was a difficult time, but it’s okay. I just need to get healthy again.”

Rotten luck for Auger-Aliassime which has summed up his season so far in 2023.

Looking ahead to the future, the Canadian said that he’s going to do some tests and is hopeful to be fit for the grass court season, “Right now it’s tough to say, but what I know for sure is I need to not just — not just the shoulder. I need to understand why I got sick like I did, and also a week ago it happened in Lyon. I got sick the same way,” the Canadian explained.

“I have just two or three things that I need to figure out, run tests, batteries of tests. I mean, I’ve been just unhealthy lately and just been fighting a lot with my body, trying to practice, trying to play.

“Definitely I need to come back to myself as a player and enjoy playing because, yeah, it’s been tough. So I don’t know. We’ll see how the next days go. I’m going to run some tests, and hopefully I can be back soon. That I would hope, but I need to be back healthy. That’s for sure.

“I hope that will help and I can play on grass in two or three weeks, but it’s difficult to say. I think I must go home, take some tests because I didn’t have time to do the specific tests.

“I have to do a battery of tests to see why I was sick here, why I was sick a week ago and, see what’s happening. I tried everything. I tried to hang on, but next time I’m on the court I want to be in good shape.”

Auger-Aliassime will hope to be fit for his next tournament which is scheduled for s-Hertogenbosch which starts on the 12th of June.

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Roland Garros Daily Preview: Djokovic, Alcaraz, Wawrinka, Thiem Play on Monday

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Court Suzanne-Lenglen has a new look in 2023, as it’s been fitted for a roof starting next year (twitter.com/rolandgarros)

Day 2 in Paris is the second of three days featuring first round singles action.

 

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will make their 2023 Roland Garros debuts on Monday, with both being heavy favorites in their opening rounds.  So this preview will dive deeper into the first round matches of two other Major singles champions: Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Thiem, both of whom are fighting to regain their form of yesteryear.

Two of the day’s other most appetizing matchups include two Italians with previous success at this tournament.  Fabio Fognini will look to upset a top 10 seed when he takes on a struggling Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Martina Trevisan plays a resurgent mother in Elina Svitolina.

Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s four most prominent matches, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule.  Monday’s play begins at 11:00am local time.


Felix Auger-Aliassime (10) vs. Fabio Fognini – Second on Court Simonne-Mathieu

Auger-Aliassime is a meager 13-9 this season, and just 1-2 on clay.  Felix has not been fully healthy, as only a few days ago, he withdrew from Lyon due to a shoulder injury.  A year ago at this event, he pushed Rafael Nadal to five sets, while being coached by Uncle Toni.  But in this match, FAA is on upset alert, against a former Roland Garros quarterfinalist.

That result for Fognini occurred 12 years ago in Paris.  The biggest title of Fabio’s career also came on this surface, when he won Monte Carlo in 2019.  The 36-year-old Italian is only 4-9 on the year, though two of those victories took place recently on clay in Rome, when he defeated both Andy Murray and Miomir Kecmanovic.

Their only prior encounter also occurred and clay, which was four years ago in Rio.  Felix prevailed in straight sets on that day.  But on this day, the unpredictable Fabio may be a slight favorite to eliminate the tenth seed in the opening round.


Stan Wawrinka vs. Albert Ramos-Vinolas – Second on Court 14

Wawrinka’s French Open title run took place eight years ago.  Stan reached the quarterfinals or better at this tournament in five of the last 10 years.  But injuries have derailed the 38-year-old’s career in recent years, and he’s just 12-10 this season at tour level.

35-year-old Ramos-Vinolas was a quarterfinalist in Paris seven years ago.  His only Masters 1000 final also came on this surface, six years ago in Monte Carlo.  A year ago here, he gave Carlos Alcaraz a scare, going up two-sets-to-one before losing in five.  But in 2023, Albert is just 6-16 at tour level.

Wawrinka has dominated their history 7-0, but they haven’t played since they met in the quarters of this tournament in 2016.  Can Stan recapture some of the magic he’s displayed in the past at this event?  On Monday, he’s the favorite to advance against a tough clay court opponent.


Elina Svitolina vs. Martina Trevisan (26) – Third on Court Simonne-Mathieu

On Saturday, in just her third WTA tournament since becoming a mother for the first time, Svitolina became the champion in Strasbourg.  Elina is 22-9 at Roland Garros, having reached the quarterfinals three times. 

Trevisan equaled that result back in 2020, then she surpassed it a year ago, reaching the semifinals of this event.  Yet in 2023, Martina is only 11-13 overall, and 4-4 on clay.

In their first career meeting, Trevisan should be favored.  This will be a quick turnaround for Svitolina from Strasbourg, and she is not yet re-accustomed to playing so many matches within a short time span.


Dominic Thiem vs. Pedro Cachin – Third on Court 6

Between 2016 and 2020, Thiem reached two finals, two more semifinals, and another quarterfinal in Paris.  But since a serious wrist injury sidelined him in 2021, Dominic is 0-2 at this event.  The Austrian is 11-15 this season at all levels, and is coming off two Challenger events on clay earlier this month.

Cachin is a 28-year-old from Argentina who reached the final of a Challenger event on clay in April, before advancing to the round of 16 at the Madrid Masters thanks to impressive victories over Francisco Cerundolo and Frances Tiafoe.  Pedro advanced to the second round of this event in his French Open main draw debut a year ago.

They have never played at tour level, but they did meet at a Challenger tournament last year on clay, with Cachin prevailing in straight sets.  However, it’s worth noting that was Thiem’s first event in nearly a year after returning from injury.  On Monday, I expect the two-time finalist to rediscover enough of his form to prevail.


Other Notable Matches on Monday:

Karolina Pliskova (16) vs. Sloane Stephens – This is a matchup between two players who have each achieved two Major finals, with Stephens winning the 2017 US Open, yet neither arrives in Paris with much form.  Pliskova got off to a strong start on the year, but is just 2-2 on clay, and has been dealing with a knee injury.  Sloane is 9-11 at tour level, though she is coming off a semifinal run this past week in Rabat.  Stephens leads their head-to-head 4-1, which includes a straight-set win at this event in 2021.

Novak Djokovic (3) vs. Aleksandar Kovacevic – Djokovic is a two-time champion of this tournament, and is 85-16 here lifetime.  He’s reached at least the quarterfinals for 13 straight years, though he’s been battling an elbow injury, and is just 5-3 on clay this season.  Kovacevic is a 24-year-old American who has never been ranked inside the top 100.

Carlos Alcaraz (1) vs. Flavio Cobolli (Q) – Alcaraz is an excellent 30-3 this year, and won back-to-back titles on clay in his home country before suffering a shocking loss to qualifier Fabian Marozsan in Rome.  This will be Carlitos’ first match at a Major since winning last year’s US Open, as he missed the Australian due to injury.  Cobolli is a 21-year-old Italian qualifier making his main draw debut at a Slam.

Arthur Fils (WC) vs. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (29) – Fils is an 18-year-old French standout who on Saturday won his first ATP title in his home country, defeating Francisco Cerundolo in the final of Lyon.  Davidovich Fokina is just 17-13 on the year, but was a quarterfinalist here two years ago. 


Monday’s full Order of Play is here.

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