Interest in Jannik Sinner’s clay-court abilities was high following his dominance on hard courts in 2024.
The 22-year-old, who was playing in his first surface match of the year, decisively answered the question by defeating Sebastian Korda 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters third round.
After long baseline exchanges with Korda, Sinner outlasted him with fluid movement and precise timing while striking the ball. After 76 minutes, the player ranked second in the PIF ATP Rankings advanced by saving all three break points that he faced and demonstrating remarkable first-serve technique, winning 95% (20/21) of the points with his opening stroke.
“I think me and Sebi have similar game styles, so we are not playing like the classic clay-court specialists, we like to play quite flat,” Sinner said. “But I moved quite well in these conditions. Every year it is tough to come here and perform well but I am happy with the performance. Let’s see what is coming in the next round, it is always great to be back here.”
The 22-year-old, who upset Korda on Tuesday by hitting some incredible winners, will now take on Jan-Lennard Struff after the German defeated Borna Coric to record his 200th victory on the tour.
On the ATP Tour this year, Sinner has been the player to beat. In 2024, the second seed won three victories, the most on Tour, including his first major at the Australian Open. Following his victory in Miami last month, where he won his second ATP Masters 1000 title, he comes to Monte-Carlo full of confidence.
Sinner, who won in Umag in 2022, is attempting to capture a second clay championship this week. Having made it to the semi-finals the previous season, this marks his fourth visit to the Principality.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, the two-time winner, also advanced to the third round. In just 64 minutes, the Greek defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-1, 6-0 to set up a quarterfinal match against Alexander Zverev.
According to Infosys ATP Stats, Tsitsipas, who won the Principality in 2021 and 2022, hit 22 winners and broke Etcheverry’s service six times to advance to 16-3 at the clay-court tournament.
With a 13-6 record so far this season, the 25-year-old has found it difficult to perform at his peak. Tsitsipas, who is ranked No. 12 in the PIF ATP Rankings right now, will be looking to break back into the Top 10 with a strong showing in Monte-Carlo.
