Jannik Sinner reached the quarterfinals at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, but had to work harder than expected to beat Adrian Mannarino in a match that was also conditioned by a long break due to rain.
The French veteran took advantage of the fact that he had nothing to lose and put in a performance above expectations, although he never gave the real feeling of being able to do the feat against the current world number 1. These two players have not faced each other for three years, a very long time that has radically changed the original situation, given that the Italian ace has become the best player in the world and Adrian has had to face a serious crisis.
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Mannarino talks aboutSinner
Mannarino forced Sinner into a tiebreak in the second set, but there the four-time Grand Slam champion raised his level and claimed his 39th victory in the last 40 matches played on hard courts. The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria has not lost a match on this surface since the 2024 Beijing ATP 500 final, when he was defeated by his top rival Carlos Alcaraz at the end of a truly memorable clash.
Interviewed by 'L'Equipe' at the end of the match yesterday, the French ace analyzed his performance and expressed his verdict on Jannik's current level: "I hadn't faced him for a long time, but I had seen him play several times, especially at Roland Garros. His level has increased exponentially in the last year and a half, he has entered a new dimension and hits the ball really well.
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He always puts you under pressure and even on days when he makes more mistakes than usual it's still very difficult to create problems for him."
Mannarino also added: "Every time he needed to raise his level, he did it without problems and gave me no chance. I tried to put him under pressure in some situations, but he always remained relaxed and made the difference in the decisive moments."
