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Jannik Sinner began his push for the Barcelona Open title by knocking aside Diego Schwartzman to secure his place in the round of 16.
Sinner surprised the crowd with his recent performance. His last appearance on the red dirt was in the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters last week, where he lost to Holger Run.
The Italian’s performance against Schwartzman will certainly have fans hoping he won’t be far behind as he beat the Argentine 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 40 minutes.
The 21-year-old led the game with a ferocious style of play, delivering some thunderous shots that Schwartzman couldn’t control.
Not only was the fourth seed an excellent display of athleticism and power, he also displayed some clinical soft-handed shots against his more experienced opponent.
«I think I started well, especially in the second leg,» said the Italian. “I tried to be very aggressive, I made a couple of unforced errors, but I have to remind myself that this is the first round for me. I tried to stay calm and try my best in important moments.
It was a clinical display from the talented youngster to give his opponent any breathing space as he stormed to a 5-2 lead after the Argentine failed to find his rhythm.
The second set saw Schwartzman fight back with little energy to tie his opponent at 4-4 before the talented Italian finished the match the way he started it – on offense.
The world number 8 will face Yoshihito Nishioka on Thursday after beating Japanese player David Goffin 6-1, 7-5.
Speaking about his preparations for his next match, Siner said: «Now the main focus is to recover for tomorrow, and hopefully I will start again tomorrow in a better mood than today.» Diego is a very difficult player to play and I am very happy.
«I came here with a positive mindset,» he added. I knew the first round would be tough, so I tried to adapt myself to the conditions and the court. It’s obviously great. [with] The crowd here.
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