Jannik Sinner of Italy returns the ball to Tommy Haas of Germany during the quarterfinal exhibition match at the Steffi Graf Stadium in Berlin on Monday. (Getty Images)
Andy Murray crashed out of the Dubai Tennis Championships after losing in straight sets to no.10 ranked Jannik Sinner.
Andy Murray faced the Italian prodigy, Jannik Sinner, in the round of 16 of the Dubai Open after winning the previous match against a very game Christopher O’Connell. Jannik survived a scare in the first set as Murray was in his elements but Jannik managed to weather the storm.
Murray got off to an impressive start when he delivered four aces to keep Sinner at bay. Till 5-5 in the first set, things were even-stevens but from that point onwards, Sinner didn’t look back. He took the set 7-5. The Italian set the court ablaze in the second set with flamboyance and broke Murray twice. Eventually, Sinner won the second set 6-2.
Andy Murray will be distraught after fighting so hard to win his last match, to get to this stage. He will have to wait for his 700th tour-level career win.
Jannik booked a ticket to the Dubai Open quarter-finals for the second year in-a-row. He didn’t forget to sing praises of his round of 16 opponent though.
Sinner said, “He is a legend. Winning three Grand Slams, many, many tournaments and he has had some unfortunate moments with surgeries. His fighting spirit is incredible so I wish him best of luck.“
“There were some nerves,” Sinner said. “I lost my last match against him. I tried to stay focused about my game and it worked. Thanks for the support as always. I think I played well, especially in the first set when it was tight in some moments.”
It was nice to see the youngster acknowledging the stalwart – Andy Murray. Sinner has already entered the top 10 rankings at such a young age, but comments like these suggest he is self-effacing. His humble behaviour coupled with his sublime skills on-court will surely hold him in good stead as he prepares to conquer tougher shores.
Sinner who is looking for his first title of the season will face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-final tomorrow. Hurkacz is currently ranked 11th, so the quarter-final will be a clash between ranks 10th and 11th. We should be in for a riveting contest come tomorrow.
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