Jannik Sinner made another impression at Roland Garros on Monday. The world number one left Andrey Rublev no chance in the eighth finals: 6-1, 6-3 and 6-4.
The 23-year-old Sinner proved in recent days against the Czech Jiri Lehecka and the French home player Richard Gasquet that he is back in old-fashioned form. A new gala performance followed against Rublev.
Sinner started well in the match against the number fifteen in the world and quickly took a 5-0 lead. It looked like it was going to be 6-0, but Sinner missed a simple forehand on set point.
Rublev couldn’t suppress a smile and even took a game, after which Sinner still took the set. The Italian also quickly took a break lead in the second set, but the damage for Rublev remained limited. The Russian was able to stay with Sinner longer in the third set, although he still lost.
For Sinner, the convincing eighth-final match is an encouragement in his hunt for his first final victory at Roland Garros. Last year he reached the semi-finals in Paris. In it, the later winner Carlos Alcaraz was too strong.
Revelation Bublik next opponent
Sinner will play against Alexander Bublik in the last eight, who is 62nd in the world ranking. The Kazakh surprised the Brit Jack Draper earlier in the day, who was seeded fifth in Paris. It became 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 and 6-4. Bublik had never been in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament before.
“This is the most beautiful day of my life. I’m just crying here, thank you ladies and gentlemen,” Bublik said on the court afterwards. The 27-year-old tennis player had never made it past the second round in Paris.