Jannik Sinner thrilled home fans as he won out of the box at the ATP Finals, on Sunday, dispatching Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 in an opening group match at the end-of-season spectacular.
The German-speaker from the mountainous Alto Adige region who ski raced as youngster before turning his hand to tennis, won the third match for an Italian at the year-ender.
It took the 21-year-old 85 minute to go past his Greek opponent, advancing with 22 winners for his 58th victory of the season.
“I knew it was going to be very tough but I think I handled the situation well. I tried to stay aggressive and I am very happy with the performance,” he said.
“I am happy to start off with a win and hopefully I can continue with this intensity.”
ATP No. 4 Sinner played here as an alternate in 2021, but qualified on his merits this season.
The Italian is bidding for his fifth trophy of the season at the eight-man wrapup.
Sinner won the opening set against Tsitsipas and broke to start the second as he took full control to win on his first match point.
Tsitsipas won the title in 2019 in London in his debut year.
“He was attacking a lot, serving really well, kept his composure in those crucial moments that were a few today,” the Greek said of his opponent.
“He kept it quite clean and didn’t get too affected by any situation that came his way.”
Main photo:- Jannik Sinner opens his account in Turin – by ATPTour.com
