WATCH: Confused Jannik Sinner doesn’t realise he won the match
It is easy to lose track of the score when you are zoned in during a match, just ask Jannik Sinner as that is exactly what happened to the Italian during his clash against Alexander Shevchenko at the Italian Open.
Playing in the final match of the day at Foro Italico, Sinner got involved in a scrap with the lucky loser as it went the distance before he finally won 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 in over two hours.
World No 93 Shevchenko broke first in game three, but the eighth seed broke back immediately and then won the final four games of the set courtesy two breaks.
So far so good for the local hero.
Shevchenko again broke early in the second set only for Sinner to draw level again in game 10 and take it to a tie-breaker with the Russian edging it.
Sinner then produced his best performance in the deciding set as he broke in games five and seven to go 5-2 up. He came out to serve for the match and sealed the deal on his first match point, but was so focused that he didn’t realise it was “game, set and match”.
“I thought it was 5-1 but it was better that I won already. I think I was quite in the zone, trying to play every point in the maximum,” Sinner said during his on-court interview.
“I missed a couple of points, especially in the second set and in the tie-break, but you have to cut this part away and then try to be ready for the third set, which I’ve done. I reacted very well.”
Up next for the Italian is Francisco Cerundolo after the 24th seed from Argentina beat Gregoire Barrere 6-7 (0-7), 6-2, 6-2. The winner of the Sinner-Cerundolo encounter will take on either fourth seed Casper Ruud or Laslo Djere in the quarter-final with world No 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic the projected semi-final opponent.
There was also a big win for Alexander Zverev on Sunday as the German came from a set down to beat David Goffin 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round.
Zverev has slipped to No 22 in the ATP Rankings after a poor run of form since returning from injury at the start of the year. He will face American JJ Wolf, who upset 14th seed Hubert Hurkacz, for a place in the fourth round.
Daniil Medvedev is the projected last-16 opponent for the winner of the Zverev-Wolf clash, but the third seed will have to get past Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the third round.
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