Sonego, History of the Resistance: Lorenzo folded Nakashima in the fifth set and goes to the roundabouts of Wimbledon

Some matches by Lorenzo Sonego are written In five sets for the craft of weapons. He who exalted in the struggle and that when the game becomes tough, more than starting, he never stops playing. He who never gives up and who jumps the ditches more are wide. Like when at the second tie-break, lost the first, it dates back to the participation of a wretched Nakashima in the five American set-points, including four consecutive 2/6, upsetting the match.

Some matches by Lorenzo Sonego have a happy ending of which we do not get tired. Today, on the 5-5 of the fifth set after almost 5 hours of play, Sonego erases two break balls with two devastating straight and with the third consecutive winner undermines the latest certainties of an imperturbable poker face like Nakashima. And then Inside the struggle there is the usual small epic of the tie-break matchstarted 4/0 and conducted 5/1, 8/3 with the Strenuous active and concretely winning resistance. With two final and consecutive ACEs that, first of the fifth set, fans the Italian tennis also to take off in Wimbledon.

Ends 6-7 (5) 7-6 (8) 7-6 (2) 3-6 7-6 (3) After 5 hours and 4 minutes of play total. Sonego, extraordinary agonist with immense heart, returns After four years to the round of 16 it is Championships. Will face Ben Sheltonwhich with the tenth seeded beat the Lucky Loser Marton Fucsovics 6-3 7-6 6-2.

Sonego and Nakashima are two obviously very different tennis players both for technical and visual reasons, but with a great feature in common, Remarkable beats and powerful straight shots just out of the service. So both generate most of their points: the American, which is the number 34 of the world ranking, often opening the field with the kick-outside; Ours, of earthy formation and therefore more versatile, mobile and with more solutions in the exchange, when it comes.

At the end of a first set Determined by the service, suspended for a shower of rain and with few exchanges, Nakashima commands the Tie-break score and despite a wretched Smash on 5/4, wins the first score 7-6 (5).

Sonego is saved with a sensational running passerby in the fifth game and then has the first break balls in his favor, and are 3 consecutive, in the ninth game of the second setbut Nakashima erases the last with the ACE and then leads another tie-break. This time, however, the American wastes 5 set-points, including 4 consecutive 6/2, and it is here that Sonego is exalted, in the fight and resilience, winning the second set 7-6 (8).

In the third setSonego soon grants a break, the first of a match commanded by the service, and risks the double advantage of 1-4 out of 15/40. And instead, after 9 useful balls and almost 3 hours of the game, Lorenzo torn the joke for the first time in Nakashima, taking the counter-break, and overturns the match at the tie-break: 7-6 (2).

In the quarto sethowever, all the percentages in the Sonego service, more inaccurate and less mobile in the exchange, fall: Nakashima, twenty -three years old who does not reveal emotions on the field, wins the partial 6-3 And it goes to the fifth almost naturally, when Sonego is from the one of the net.

Lorenzo who He still comes to courageously taking many points on the net and pulls up to the end of the wonderful passers -bybut Nakashima does not get upset and takes the break in the fifth game. Finished? Macchè, the counter-break arrives immediately while Sonego runs on all the balls and always withdraws them on the other side … and when after many very tenant games, the ninth game of the 5-4 is needed at zero, we are the scent that can end well. And it ends well, even if after about another half hour, because calling for superstition, Lorenzo know him like our pockets.

Five hours of play with 16 ACE per side and for both over 70% of the points caught with the first service. Just 5 breaks, one more for Nakashima, who, however, does not have the sonego in the network (45 points to 23) nor the passing of the exaltation. So the winners are 75 to 56. So Sonego won: you live on the third for Italy that goes to the roundabouts of Wimbledon.