First seed Novak Djokovic had to work hard to reach the quarterfinals of the 1000 Series tournament in Paris. The Belgrader eliminated Tallon Griekspoor 4:6, 7:6 and 6:4 in the round of 16. The settlement lasted as much as two hours and 37 minutes.
In the first set, it looked like a sure win for the 24-time Grand Slam winner, who quickly won the opening three games. After a 4:1 lead, he then gave up completely. He served very poorly and made many unforced errors. The Dutchman, who is ranked 23rd in the ATP rankings, went on a five game streak to win the first set.
The ninth game of the second set was crucial, when Djokovic saved himself after 15/40. At the decisive moment, he hit two first serves and led 5:4 with four consecutive points. He then won the extended game 7:2.
In the decisive set, Griekspoor came back from a 2:4 deficit. He equalized at 4:4, but then Djokovic won the last eight points in the match. The final ratio of points won (102:101) says a lot about the tie of the match.
More time on the toilet than on the playground“I had stomach problems and was not feeling well. I’ve been on the toilet more than on the field these past few days. It was only in the second set that I did a little better. I was able to hold games on my serve, and I played well in extended play. I hope I feel good on Friday, it won’t get any easier at the end of the week,” Djokovic said.
Tsicipas after his victory over Zverev at the final MastersStefanos Tsicipas beat Alexander Zverev 7:6 and 6:4. With ten aces and 37 “winners”, the Greek secured his appearance at the final Masters in Turin, which will start next Sunday.
Cicipas quickly took a 3-0 lead and had two chances on his serve in the ninth game to win the opening set. The German saved himself, took away the Greek’s serve and then tied the game at 5:5. The decision was made in an extended game, but Tsicipas won 7:2.
In the second set, Zverev lost the forehand in the first game. Cicipas served perfectly and reliably maintained his advantage until the end. The settlement lasted one hour and 59 minutes.
“I am very relieved, I finally have a guaranteed place in Turin. The Final Masters is one of my favorite tournaments. I have been looking forward to this challenge for a long time. There are a lot of my fans and friends in Italy, many Greeks live there and it will be a big event,” the 25-year-old was satisfied.
Karen Hačanov awaits him in the quarterfinals on Friday, who eliminated Roman Safiulin 4:6, 6:4 and 6:2. The qualifier failed to repeat the brilliant performance from Tuesday’s clash against Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner was still sweating in the middle of the night, and then he handed over the account of the round of 16The fourth player in the world, Jannik Sinner, ended his performances in Paris early after winning the 2nd round. The Italian canceled the match of the 3rd round against the Australian Alex de Minaur due to fatigue.
The organizers received a lot of criticism, as they did not allow the Italian enough time to regenerate after the 2nd round match, which Sinner only ended with a victory over American Mackenzie McDonald at 2.37am on Thursday morning. He was supposed to step on the field again after a little more than 14 hours, but Sinner canceled the performance.
“I am happy about Jannik’s victory, but the tournament program is inconsiderate of the players,” complained the coach of the 22-year-old Italian, Darren Cahill, after the night match.
Ruud: Fourteen and a half hours to regenerate! What a joke.The three-time finalist of the Grand Slam tournaments and the eighth player in the world, Norwegian Casper Ruud, also criticized the organizers. “Well done ATP, nice way to help one of the best players recover and be as fit as possible after the match ended at 2.37am. Fourteen and a half hours to regenerate! What a joke,” said the Norwegian.
Sinner, who won the title in Vienna on Sunday, will now prepare for the final Masters in Turin, where eight of the best players in the world will play.
PARIS, round of 16, table (5,779,335 euros, hard base)
ĐOKOVIC (SRB/1) – GRIEKSPOOR (LINE) 4:6, 7:6 (2), 6:4RUNE (DAY/6) – ALTMAIER (GERMAN) DE MINAUR (AVS/13) – SINNER (ITA/4) bb RUBLE (RUS/5) – VAN DE ZANDSCHULP (LINE) 6:3, 6:3 HURKACZ (POL/11) – CERUNDOLO (ARG) 6:4, 6:3 DIMITROV (BLG) – BUBLIK (KAZ) 6:2, 6:2 CICIPAS (GREECE/7) – ZVEREV (NEM/10) 7:6, 6:4 HACHANOV (RUS/16) – SAFIULIN (RUS) 4:6, 6:4, 6:2
Source: Rtvslo