Jannik Sinner is battling Carlos Alcaraz for the No. 2 spot, and he is just one victory away from winning.
The Italian, who after winning the Miami Open climbed to a career-high of No. 2 in the rankings, fell to No. 3 in the live rankings, trailing Alcaraz. This is because the Italian has 360 points to defend at the ATP Masters tournament, while the Spaniard has none.
Sinner only needs to make it to the semi-finals to maintain his lead, while Alcaraz had to withdraw from the competition owing to an injury. Despite failing to hold onto an early break in the opening set, the defending Australian Open champion easily defeated Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets.
In the third game of the set, Sinner broke Struff, only to give the advantage back to his opponent. The 22-year-old, though, did not face another break point during the match and defeated the Germans 6-4, 6-2, by breaking his service three more times.
Despite the initial miscalculation, Sinner thinks he did a fantastic job dispelling the German threats. “He’s undoubtedly a dangerous player. I had to exercise extreme caution,” he remarked. “I broke him really quickly, and he broke me right back. Even though I anticipated it would be difficult, I think I returned really well, particularly on second serves. I have a lot to be happy about.
Sinner had a clinical march to victory in Monte Carlo, winning 85% of his first-serve points (22/26). The Italian is thrilled to have made it to the round of eight, where he will play either Grigor Dimitrov or Holger Rune. “I’m content. Every game is unique. Sinner remarked, “I’m excited to be in the next round once more. “It will be extremely difficult. I’ve always had really hard fights and matches with both players. “I’m excited about it, and as usual, if I want to win, I need to step up my game. See you later.
Sinner hasn’t set out to do anything differently, but he believes that he is physically better equipped to handle the demands of the clay swing this season. He still thinks he can improve on the surface and provide a serious threat to titles on clay.
I won’t claim that it’s easier, but I can say that it’s definitely made easier by the physicality I’ve developed, particularly on this surface. Sinner told reporters in Monte Carlo, “If you feel stronger physically, you will also feel more confident.”
“I wouldn’t say that it was simpler, but I did get to my desired destination a little bit quicker. I’m definitely not where I want to be. I’m content and hoping that I may continue to get better over the following several days, becoming even more at ease on this surface and in my movements. Then, we’ll monitor the situation.