Sinner debuts in Shanghai with his 250th victory | ATP Tour

Shanghai

Sinner debuts in Shanghai with his 250th victory

The Italian is looking for his third ATP Masters 1000 of the year this week

October 05, 2024

Jannik Sinner is the man to beat on hard surfaces and he doesn’t want to take too long to remember it. The Italian debuted this Saturday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters ready to make his mark, beating the Japanese Taro Daniel 6-1, 6-4 to achieve victory No. 250 of his sporting career. With the usual authority, the first seed completed a match with clear symptoms: his blows are still perfectly sharp.

The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings assumed responsibility in one of the most important tournaments on the calendar, demonstrating his ability to reset the mind in search of the result. Days after losing an epic final at the ATP 500 in Beijing, the Italian returned to the court with his freshness intact to lay his first stone in Shanghai. In an impeccable display, Jannik did not face a single break point en route to victory.

“I felt quite comfortable,” acknowledged the Italian. “I feel physically fit, something very important for me. I will try to improve in my match tomorrow, but I have served at a high level especially in important moments and I have moved quite well.”

Infosys ATP Wins/Losses Index (2024)

*for competing this Saturday

The victory allowed Sinner to underline his leadership in the locker room. With 64 wins in 2023 and 60 games won in 2024, the Italian became the first man in the last eight years capable of adding 60 or more victories in consecutive seasons. No one had achieved it since Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray achieved the milestone in 2015 and 2016.

In a highly demanding draw, Sinner will play the third round of the ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai against the No. 31 seed Tomás Martín Etcheverry. The Argentine, who won the longest match in the history of the tournament in the previous round, is an old acquaintance for the Italian. Sinner dominates the FedEx ATP Head2Head record 1-0 over the South American, whom he beat at the 2023 Australian Open.

Sinner aims to become the first Italian to finish the season at the top of the ATP Tour. The one from San Candido currently occupies No. 1 in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, with an advantage of 2,820 points over second-placed Carlos Alcaraz. In a season of historical overtones, the conquest of the ATP Yead-End No. 1 presented by PIF would mean a new step for the succession to the locker room throne.

Did you know that…?
Jannik Sinner is looking for his seventh individual title of 2024 this week in Shanghai. Among active players, only the Serbian Novak Djokovic (11) and the Spanish Rafael Nadal (11) managed to collect a larger haul in a single season throughout their sports careers.