Shock defeat for Jannik Sinner in Cincinnati could be a blessing in disguise
Jannik Sinner was a dark horse to lift the title in Cincinnati this week, but those hopes have been ended in his opening match.
After winning his first ATP 1000 title in Toronto last week, Italian wonderkid Sinner was beaten 6-4 7-6(4) by Dusan Lajovic in one of the biggest surprises from the early rounds in Cincinnati.
Sinner tried to hit his opponent off the court with his trademark thumping forehands from the back of the court, yet Lajovic showed great resilience to fend off his higher ranked oppenent to sealed a tenth career win against a top 10 opponent.
“I obviously knew that it was going to be tough because whenever you are playing somebody who is in great form and has a lot of confidence, they play well in the important moments,” said Lajovic.
“You could see that, he was saving so many break points and everything when it was close, he was there.
“I knew I had been serving very well the past couple of days, so I thought if I continue to use my serve, both with the flat and the kick out wide, I could dominate the point after the serve.
“This is what I did most of the time in my service games… I was happy to finish in two sets because I know that going three sets against these kinds of players, it’s always going to be much tougher.”
This was a fourth straight win for Lajovic in matches against top 10 opponents, with Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev among his others victims this year and he suggested the challenge of playing the top players inspired him.
“I’ve started changing a lot of things about me,” added Lajovic.
“This year I started doing a lot of mental health training, with a therapist and everything, and I started to change some things about myself, which is always hard and especially when you are over 30.
“We are very established as what we are (at that age), so changing takes great effort, but it started working. I started playing this season really well.
“I had unfortunate timing with chicken pox, which I got in Paris and was out until Wimbledon, and it took me a couple more weeks to get back on track. Now I’m finally back where I was before.”
After his sparkling form in Canada, this defeat was a surprise for Sinner, but he looked a little jaded at times after his breakthrough title win last Sunday.
Now the 22-year-old will have time to reflect on what has been a fine start to his US hardcourt season, spend some time recovering from his exploits in Canada and head to New York in confident mood ahead of the US Open.
“Winning big events gives you confidence,” said Sinner after his win in Toronto.
“I felt the pressure, but I think I handled it very well. Trying to play point after point.
“Treating everyone with respect on the court, so I am happy with how I handled the situation.
“I know I can compete against anyone when I play at my best. The challenge is doing that every week.”
Sinner will head into the US Open as one of the favourites to reach the semi-finals, where he may face top seeds Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz in what would be a huge test of his Grand Slam credentials.
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