Welcome back Lorenzo Sonego! The Piedmontese finds himself in the most important moment of his season, scoring a beautiful victory in the first round of Roland Garros 2024. A truly significant success for the native of Turin, who overtook the Frenchman Hugh Humbert, number seventeen in the world, in four sets with the score of 6-4 2-6 6-4 6-3 after two hours and fifty-two minutes of play.
A truly excellent performance from Sonego, which served very well, holding excellent percentages with the first (76% of points won with this shot). The Piedmontese finished with 35 winners against the Frenchman’s 25, while the number of unforced errors was the same (38).
Very good start to the match for Sonego, who gets three consecutive break points in the fifth game. The first two are canceled out by Humbert, but the Frenchman’s backhand error arrives on the third. The Piedmontese is very solid in his shifts of service and does not allow his opponent any opportunities, closing the first half in his favor by 6-4.
Sonego doesn’t capitalize on the momentum of winning the first set and at the start of the second he unfortunately loses service at the first break point granted. The Piedmontese finds himself defending another in the fifth game, but this time he manages to save himself with a nice winning forehand. Humbert leaves no room in his innings for a Sonego, who instead gives up serve again in the eighth game, with the Frenchman finishing 6-2.
Sonego suffered a break point at the start of the third set, but the response is missing on a second to the Frenchman’s body. The opportunity for the Piedmontese is recreated in the seventh game and this time he immediately exploits it with an amazing forehand winner. In the next game the blue still has to face a counterbreak ball, but the first one arrives to save everything. Sonego takes the third set 6-4.
Sonego also has two break points at the start of the fourth set, but on the first the blue misses with a backhand and on the second there is a first from Humbert. Even in the third game the Frenchman finds himself facing two break points and once again the world number 17 survives. The break is still in the air and here it comes in the seventh game with also the double fault of the transalpine. The problems in the Frenchman’s service continue and Sonego exploits them all in the ninth game, closing on the first match point. The Piedmontese wins 6-3 and regains a truly special victory that has been missing for a long time.
