Top-ranked Jannik Sinner shook off a three-month doping ban with a commanding 6-3, 6-4 win over No. 99 Mariano Navone on the Italian Open on Saturday, thrilling a raucous residence crowd in his long-awaited return.
Playing his first match since capturing his third Grand Slam title on the Australian Open in January, Sinner confirmed little rust, pounding groundstrokes deep and sharp from the beginning. When he broke for 3-1 within the opening set, chants of “Ole, ole, ole, Sin-ner, Sin-ner” echoed by means of Campo Centrale.
Many followers within the sold-out crowd of 10,500 had been wearing orange, Sinner’s theme colour. There had been loads of indicators that learn “Bentornato Jannik” (“Welcome back, Jannik”).
The victory prolonged Sinner’s successful streak to 22 matches, courting to October.
In February, Sinner agreed to the three-month ban in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency that raised some questions, because it conveniently allowed him to keep away from lacking any Grand Slams and return at his residence match.
The settlement adopted WADA’s attraction of a choice final yr by the International Tennis Integrity Agency to completely exonerate Sinner for what it deemed to be an unintentional contamination by a banned anabolic steroid in March 2024.
Many fellow execs really feel Sinner was handled too calmly.
But the gang on the Foro Italico evening session was absolutely behind Sinner, who has remained Italy’s hottest athlete regardless of the suspension.
When Sinner unleashed a backhand method winner up the road early within the first set – the sport through which he ultimately broke Navone’s serve – one Sinner fan yelled, “Destroy him.”
Another signal within the crowd translated to “Make our hearts beat.” One extra referred to this week’s election of a brand new pope simply down the street on the Vatican, joking, “After three months of conclave, Habemus Papam!” – utilizing the Latin phrase introduced from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica when a pope is elected.
Sinner’s solely actual lapse got here late within the second set when he didn’t consolidate a break and dropped his serve. But he broke once more within the subsequent sport after which served out.
The final Italian man to win the Rome title was Adriano Panatta in 1976.
Sinner will subsequent face Dutch qualifier Jesper de Jong, who beat Twenty fifth-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-0, 6-2.
In the ladies’s match, three-time champion Iga Swiatek was crushed by Danielle Collins 6-1, 7-5. The third-round loss marked Swiatek’s earliest defeat at a significant WTA occasion in almost 4 years.
Swiatek, the highest clay-court participant on the ladies’s tour, was coming off a lopsided loss to Coco Gauff within the Madrid Open semifinals final week. She has 15 days to rediscover her kind earlier than the French Open begins May 25.
Swiatek has gained 4 of her 5 Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros.
Source: www.dailysabah.com