Jannik Sinner, ranked fourth in the world and the winner of the Australian Open, has advanced to the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 Rotterdam. In the second round, Jannik defeated Gael Monfils with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in an hour and 52 minutes. This victory sets up a quarter-final clash between Jannik and Milos Raonic.
This match marked the fifth time in six encounters that Jannik has emerged victorious against Gael. He outperformed the veteran player in both serve and return, earning 14 more points. Jannik displayed strong play behind his first and second serves, only facing one break point in the second set, which allowed Gael to extend the match.
Despite a decent effort, Monfils lost his serve twice out of five opportunities, resulting in a loss. Both players hit a similar number of service winners, but Jannik displayed more efficient strokes.
Jannik recorded 14 winners and 18 unforced errors, while Gael struggled to match that pace, committing 36 mistakes. This defeat marks Gael’s fifth loss to the season’s best player.
In the first game of the match, Sinner held at love and then broke Monfils at 15 in the following game due to a wild forehand from the Frenchman. Jannik continued his dominance by holding at 30 in the third game, quickly establishing a 3-0 lead in less than ten minutes. He landed an ace in the fifth game and held after deuce, extending the gap to 4-1.
Although Gael closed the sixth game with a forehand crosscourt winner, he remained one break behind. Jannik secured the seventh game at love, putting pressure on Gael to serve and stay in the set. Despite Gael’s efforts, Sinner held at 15 in the eighth game, wrapping up the opener in just 32 minutes.
In the second set, Monfils started strong with his serve and broke Sinner in the fourth game after a double fault from Jannik. Gael solidified his lead with a service winner in the fifth game and fired an ace two games later, bringing the score to 5-2.
Jannik held at love in the eighth game and had a break opportunity in the next one. However, Gael denied it with a powerful serve down the T line. Eventually, Gael won the set after Jannik’s forehand error, forcing a deciding set after 70 minutes of play.
In the final set, Jannik made a fresh start and quickly broke Monfils at love in the second game following a backhand error. Although Jannik missed a break chance in the fourth game with a wayward forehand, Gael was unable to close the gap.
Jannik took a 4-1 lead with a hold at 15 in the fifth game and moved closer to victory with a strong serve at 4-2. Gael served to stay in the match in the eighth game and managed to force an error from his opponent, extending his chances.
However, Sinner sealed the deal with a service winner at 5-3, securing his 12th consecutive win.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org