ROMA. Jannik Sinner loses the duel between baby phenomena and complicates his race towards the ATP Finals in Turin.
In the second round of the “Rolex Paris Masters”, eighth and last ATP Masters 1000 of the year on the fast indoor of the Palais Omnisport in Paris-Bercy, the n.9 in the world lost 7-6 (1) 7-5, after two hours and seven minutes of stellar tennis, to the Spaniard Alcaraz, 35 ATP (“best”), also semifinalist in the “500” of the Austrian capital.
An all-Next Gen challenge of which the only precedent was in favor of the 18-year-old from El Palmar, who scored in three sets in the first round of the Alicante Challenger in April 2019, when Carlos had not yet turned 16.
Sinner, semifinalist in Vienna last week after the title won in Antwerp the previous one, was also hunting for precious points for the ‘Race to Turin’: at the moment he is ninth, overtaken by the Polish Hurkacz. The South Tyrolean will not be able to add points to Bercy, unlike his direct rivals, all qualified for the round of 16 in Bercy.
Ruud (7 / oa +170 points) will face one between Schwartzman and Giron, Hurkacz (8 / oa +30 points) will face the lucky loser Koepfer, in a quarter upset by the withdrawal of Tsitsipas, while Norrie (10 / oa – 60 points) challenges the American Fritz.
Next week the last 250 points of the year will be awarded, with the 20-year-old from Sesto Pusteria who will have to hope for an early elimination of his direct rivals to play all out in the ATP tournament in Stockholm.
In the morning, Lorenzo Musetti’s race ended in the second round. The 19-year-old from Carrara, n.67 ATP, fished out of the draw as lucky loser, after having finally beaten his “black beast” in comeback, the Serbian Laslo Djere, n.51 in the ranking, was beaten 6-3 3-6 6-3, after more than two hours of fighting, by the Australian James Duckworth, n.55 in the ranking.