Australian Open, the path of the Italians: Sinner with Tsitsipas”>Jannik Sinner is prepared for the Australian Open. © ANSA / Alessandro Di Marco
The first Grand Slam tournament of the year started in Melbourne on Monday. However, South Tyrol’s tennis aces will only get involved on the second day of the competition, i.e. on Tuesday.
January 17, 2022
Author: Leo
If there was one player last season who struggled with tricky draws in the Grand Slams, it was without a doubt Jannik Sinner. In his third Australian Open participation, the Losfee meant well with the 20-year-old, because it could not have gone better. Dreaming of the semifinals is not utopian. Of course, the Sextner does not look that far ahead, the focus is initially on the first lap.
In this, Sinner does not meet a qualifier in Joao Sousa, as originally thought, but a lucky loser. The world number 140. from Portugal lost straight in two sets in the last qualifying round, but was lucky that there were last-minute cancellations that put him in the main draw. Sinner knows the 32-year-old, who was number 28 in the world in 2016, from a previous duel.
compulsory task
In 2019, the two met as part of the qualification for the ATP 500 lawn tournament in Halle. The South Tyrolean won the first set in the tie-break, but Sousa won the next rounds 6:3 and 6:4. Since then, Sinner has developed rapidly, while Sousa slipped out of the top 100 and is now at home on the Challenger Tour. Anything but a clear victory for the world number 10. would therefore be tantamount to a sensation, especially since Sousa is much stronger on sand than on hard court.
Andreas Seppi also plays on Tuesday. © Andreas Seppi
Andreas Seppi, who always plays extremely well in Australia, is also the favorite in a duel with Kamil Majchrzak. However, a close match can be expected. The world number 107. from Poland started the season at the ATP Cup with three successes. Seppi qualified for the main draw of a 250 tournament at the start of the new year, but then suffered two losses in a row. The record against Majchrzak is 1:1. What speaks for the veteran: With 16 participations in Melbourne, he survived the opening round eleven times. The 37-year-old, who currently occupies 101st place in the world rankings, now wants to expand on this impressive record. Sinner’s match is scheduled for around 2.30 a.m. CEST, Andreas Seppi’s is scheduled for around 6 a.m. (CEST).
