Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner overcame a sluggish start to secure his place in the second round of the US Open, defeating American Mackenzie McDonald 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 on Tuesday.
Sinner struggled with unforced errors in the opening set, allowing McDonald to take an early lead. The American capitalized on Sinner’s slow start, claiming the first set decisively. McDonald continued his momentum into the second set, breaking Sinner to go up 1-0.
However, Sinner fought back, saving three break points in a lengthy game to level the set at 1-1. This hard-fought game appeared to boost the world number one’s confidence. Sinner then dominated the rest of the match, racing to a 4-1 advantage in the second set before leveling the match at one set apiece.
From there, Sinner never looked back. He won five consecutive games to close out the third set and claimed the first three games of the fourth set without dropping a point. Although McDonald won a couple of games late in the match to delay the inevitable, Sinner maintained his composure and served out the set to claim an emphatic victory.
The 23-year-old Italian will face another American, Alex Michelsen, in the second round.
Zhang Zhizhen Retires from First Round Due to Leg Injury
In other action, Zhang Zhizhen of the Chinese mainland was forced to retire from his first-round match against Great Britain’s Jack Draper due to a leg injury. After losing the first set 6-3, Zhang appeared hindered by a knee issue and lost ten consecutive games. Despite calling for a medical timeout, he was unable to continue and retired while trailing 4-0 in the third set.
Zhang’s early exit is a disappointment for fans from the Chinese mainland, who had hoped to see him advance further in the tournament. Draper, the 25th seed, moves on to the next round as a result.
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Sinner overcomes slow start to advance to second round at U.S. Open
cgtn.com
