Jannik Sinner advances past first round at Wimbledon 2024, third Slam of the year. The world number 1, in two hours and 58 minutes, beat the German with a score of 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-3 Yannick Hanfmannwho especially in the third set creates important problems for him with a very valid level of play. Now the derby will arrive, what no one would have wanted to experience at this point in the tournament, with Matteo Berrettini: the king of the world rankings against the only Italian ever to reach the final at the Championships (at least until now).
Sinner’s debut on the most famous courts in the world begins with a game held to deuce, more out of a need to get going than for any other reason. Even in the next service game there are some small worries, this time thanks to Hanfmann who however wastes a great return on the line with a forehand in the corridor. So, instead of the break point, shortly after comes the 2-1 for the ATP leader, who really has the chance to extend his lead a few minutes later, but it is cancelled out by a nice first serve from the German. No big deal: a couple of errors at 3-2 send Jannik to 15-40, and the cross-court passing shot on Hanfmann’s blocked volley is worth the 4-2. For the Italian there are no more problems and the 6-3 is well and truly archived.
The second set also starts convincingly, with a third game that sees the German score one of the best points of his day, but also sees him badly concede the break point. Sinner is waiting for nothing else: forehand counterattack, 2-1 that is then confirmed. Jannik finds himself, immediately after, down 0-40, goes 30-40 with two first serves and on the third he saves himself with a hawk call on the German’s response that sees him as being right. The 3-1 comes soon, as soon as the first real scare of the day also comes, with the Italian slipping after the response before a forehand counterattack by Hanfmann. A scary moment, also because he touches his hip, then it becomes clear that it is all precautionary. After a break point in the next game, no more relevant questions arise. and the second set ends 6-4.
Berrettini ready for the derby: “I make sacrifices for these games”. And on his back…
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The third set, however, begins in a truly unexpected way, with a total blank of the world number 1 who, between a double fault, a wide forehand following the serve and two great returns from the German, ends up going 0-2 down. As if that were not enough, at 0-3 there is another slip by Sinner, this time due to loss of support: the effect of the fall is comical, but much less comical is the fact that he ends up two breaks down. He immediately recovers one, partly dampening the excellent moment also in terms of his opponent’s game. The problem comes, again, in the next service game, when Jannik has to work very hard to save three break points at deuce, and in the end manages to hold. The ninth game is also lived on edge: 0-15, then 15-30, but the Italian misses that couple of points, Hanfmann finds the winning forehand and it is set point. The German exploits it very well, with a point of enormous quality closed towards the net: the match extends. In every sense, because the closing of the roof is immediately ordered with the resulting in half an hour (actually even a little less) needed for all operations.
We start again under the roof, a factor that certainly does not displease Sinner. At 2-1 there are two magnificent points by Jannik, a backhand in tight cross recovery that sends the spectators into delirium and a deep and powerful one at the beginning of the game. What follows is a continuous and suffocating search for the break by the Italian. He comes close once, but Hanfmann finds something that is less than a millimeter of line to save himself. In the end the break arrives, with the fact that we go from a first on the tape of the German to 3-1 of the world number 1. At that point, for the world number 1 everything went not smoothly, more, and came the first victory this year in the Championships.
For Sinner 79% of points won with the first serve, but what is a bit unusual is the 49% with the second serve, one of his historic weapons (47% Hanfmann). Sixteen aces (against 12), 47-30 against 44-38 the unforced winners-errors count.
