Just four days after lifting an ATP 500 crown in Vienna, Jannik Sinner, the World No. 2, began his Paris Masters campaign with a commanding 6-4, 6-2 victory over Zizou Bergs on Wednesday.
Sinner produced a typically assured all-round performance to overwhelm his Belgian opponent in their first ATP head-to-head meeting and extend his tour-level winning streak on indoor hard courts to 22 matches.
Bergs began his campaign at the La Défense Arena by fending off four break points but was unable to prevent Sinner from breaking serve in a 12-minute opening game. That early break was enough to set the Italian on course to take the first set, and another break in the opening game of the second set proved decisive.
The second seed was authoritative behind his serve throughout the match. He did not face a single break point and won 77 per cent (24/31) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to setting up a third-round meeting with Francisco Cerundolo. The Argentine earlier defeated Miomir Kecmanovic 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(4).
With his 88-minute win over Bergs, Sinner kept alive his hopes of capitalising on Carlos Alcaraz’s early exit from Paris in the battle for the World No. 1 spot. The Italian can return to the top of the rankings next Monday if he lifts his first Masters 1000 title of the season.
“I felt like mostly the movement was good,” said Sinner. “It’s a very unique court here. Usually, I always struggled a bit, so I’m very happy to come through the first match. I was very happy with how I served today. I was very precise, and starting with a break straight away gives you a bit more confidence. I’m very happy about today’s performance.”
Sinner’s straightforward victory was in stark contrast to the opening match of the day on Court Central. In a rematch of the Shanghai Masters final earlier this month, Valentin Vacherot again overcame his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in a three-set battle to extend his Masters 1000 winning streak to nine matches.
Vacherot will next face Alcaraz’s conqueror, Cameron Norrie, for a quarterfinal berth in Paris. Daniil Medvedev also advanced on Wednesday after his second-round opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, was forced to withdraw before their match due to a right shoulder injury.
—IANS