'Showtime' Sinner rallies into Halle QFs

Jannik Sinner is quickly finding that being World No. 1 comes with its own set of challenges.

After fighting off an ultra-aggressive Tallon Griekspoor in a three-set first-round encounter, Sinner again found himself under siege from a free-swinging Fabian Marozsan Thursday before shaking off the Hungarian to win 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3 and reach the quarter-finals of the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.

Understanding that playing within themselves was not going to get the job done, Sinner’s two opponents this week at the grass-court ATP 500 have red-lined their games. The Italian, so far, has met the challenge, but he has needed close to his best tennis at the start of his grass season to stay alive.

“It’s the first time I’ve faced him. He’s already beaten incredible players, so I knew I had to play really, really good,” Sinner said. “The first couple of matches are never easy [on a new surface]. This grass is a little different to Wimbledon. Fabian is an incredible player. It was a tough match and I’m pleased to be in the quarters."

A piece of inspired brilliance was the catalyst for Sinner’s decisive break in the second game of the third set. On the first point of the game, Sinner lunged for a diving forehand short in the court, rolling 360 degrees before jumping back to his feet to hit a winning crosscourt backhand on the dead run past a dumfounded Marozsan at net.

Fully embracing first-strike tennis, Marozsan pressured Sinner’s second serve throughout the match, restricting the Italian to just 51 per cent of second-serve points won. Having won just 42 per cent of second-serve points in the first round against Griekspoor, Sinner said that changes may be coming.

“For sure I need to think about changing it up a little more. I may need to be more aggressive,” Sinner said. “I’ll need to talk to my team about that. He returned very well, especially in the beginning.”

Sinner, who is spending his second week atop the PIF ATP Rankings, is chasing his first grass-court title this week. He improved to 35-3 on the season after winning his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Marozsan. He will play Jan-Lennard Struff in Friday’s quarter-finals after the German upset World No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4.

S1NNER strikes back! 🇮🇹

Pushed all the way, world No.1 @janniksin edges Marozsan 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3 🔜 QFs!@ATPHalle | #TerraWortmannOpen pic.twitter.com/vucaaqnH14

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 20, 2024

Marozsan, who came into the match with a 4-3 record against Top 10 players having beaten Holger Rune and Alex de Minaur in Miami in March, was looking to reach his fourth tour-level quarter-final.

Earlier in the day, fifth seed and 2022 champion Hubert Hurkacz, dropped 17 aces on Australian James Duckworth to advance to the quarter-finals with a 7-6(3), 6-4 win. The Pole won 39 of 42 first-serve points according to Infosys ATP Stats.