Italian Open: Jannik Sinner Shrug Off Early Onslaught To Eliminate Francisco Cerundolo
Jannik Sinner has progressed to the Italian Open quarterfinals after eliminating Francisco Cerundolo in three sets. 7-6(2), 6-3 in round of 16. Last time Sinner and Cerundolo met in Rome, the Argentine defeated Sinner to secure his second Masters 1000 quarterfinal appearance. However, the world number one got a payback to take a 3-2 lead in the head-to-head count. Sinner was returning from a three-month doping suspension that he had served, issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency, after being found guilty of using banned substances. He won the two previous rounds without dropping a set, and now Cerundolo, in the bid for his first Italian Open title. "He's a very tough competitor," said Sinner. "It's obviously a great challenge for me, especially now in this moment, trying to get used to so many difficult situations on the court." Unlike their previous meeting, Sinner rallied to force a tiebreak after the Argentine claimed his first break and took a 5-4 lead...
