Jannik Sinner eked past Russia’s Roman Safiullin to advance to the quarter-finals of the China Open.
The defending champion has been forced to show off his determination in Beijing with two comeback wins this week.
In his opener, the top seed faced a steely-faced Nicolas Jarry who served his way to the first set before Jannik Sinner recovered to eventually progress.
Faced with Russia’s big ball-striking Roman Safiullin, Sinner’s serve was broken twice as he lost the opener again 6-3.
Demonstrating the same resilience that’s helped Sinner to 56 wins this season, he quickly came back to notch up his 57th.
The Australian and US Open champion has further extended his unbeaten run to 13 and has reached at least the quarterfinals in every tour-level event he has played in 2024.
Jannik Sinner says which shot he really ‘struggled’ with against Roman Safiullin
The Italian once again didn’t have things all his own way with Safiullin’s big ball-striking and return of serve firing in the opening set – America’s Ben Shelton named Safiullin as the opponent he dreads playing against describing him as a ‘clean ball-striker’.
Despite having ultimately managed to again turn the tide, the world number one likened his latest win to his opener in Beijing.
“It was similar also to the first-round match,” Sinner admitted in his China Open press conference. “Today I struggled a little bit, especially with my serve on the first set. He was returning very well. He was playing very strong from the baseline.”
Sinner previously he’d been working on his serve, with a real emphasis on that shot since his US Open triumph.
“I just tried to react a bit. I changed a couple things in the second set, which then helped me to get in the rhythm of the match.
“Yeah, you know, third sets are always kind of tricky. But happy how I reacted. Of course, if I want to win the next round, I have to raise my level. Jiri is playing some amazing tennis, so let’s see.”
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirmed mid-match that it has appealed the decision to allow Sinner to continue playing professional tennis despite failing a drugs test – a case he initially won in a tribunal with the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
What is Jannik Sinner’s record against next round opponent Jiri Lehecka?
The two have not met since 2019 where Sinner won 6-4, 6-2 in Ostrava. Since, both have marched their way to the top of the ATP Tour, with Jiri Lehecka reaching a career-high ranking of 15 in January.
The Czech has seen off two Spaniard’s so far in Beijing with Pedro Martinez defeated in straight sets and a comeback win over Roberto Bautista Agut in round two.
Sinner’s two tough tests meant a lot to him he admitted after his win over Safiullin. With two slightly difficult wins for the top seed so far, Lehecka’s all court game will provide another stern test for the world number one.
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