Jannik Sinner held firm for victory in a hard-hitting opening-round clash against Ben Shelton on Wednesday at the Erste Bank Open.
The Italian prevailed 7-6(2), 7-5 in Vienna by striking 28 winners and offering just six unforced errors across the one-hour, 44-minute encounter. With his win, Sinner avenged his defeat to Shelton in the Shanghai fourth round two weeks ago.
“It was a very tough match. He always serves really well, and today was obviously the same,” said Sinner. “He is confident, he is a very tough player to beat. I was looking forward to it. I lost the last matchup, so I’m happy that I won this one. I’m already looking forward to the next one.
“I wish him the best for the rest of the season, I think he will finish the season strong. I’m very happy about the performance and happy to be in the next round.”
Although Shelton, who flew straight to Austria after winning his maiden ATP Tour crown on Sunday in Tokyo, understandably showed some signs of fatigue in the second set, he pushed Sinner all the way inside the Wiener Stadthalle. An intense first set was only settled when Sinner raised his level in the tie-break and the Italian was forced to fend off four break points overall during his win.
Sinner produced plenty of razor-sharp returning and particularly capitalised when given a look at his American opponent’s second serve. The Italian won 53 per cent (18/34) of return points against second deliveries, and Shelton’s lack of first serves proved crucial as Sinner clinched the only break of the match at 5-5 in the second set.
The 22-year-old Sinner, who has already secured direct qualification for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals for the first time, will take on countryman Lorenzo Sonego next in Vienna. He holds a 3-0 Lexus ATP Head2Head lead against Sonego, with all three victories coming earlier this season.
Alexander Zverev maintained his fast start in Austria by downing Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-4, his second straight-sets win of the week.
Zverev fired 23 winners to Norrie’s eight in his 79-minute triumph to improve to 4-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with the Briton. He will next take on Andrey Rublev or Matteo Arnaldi as he chases his third ATP Tour crown of 2023.
With his victory on Wednesday, Zverev consolidated his position in seventh in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. The two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion is chasing his sixth appearance at the prestigious season finale, to be held from 12-19 November.
Zverev now holds a 9-1 record in Vienna, where he lifted the trophy in 2021. The German is 51-24 for the season after returning to action at the beginning of the year from a serious ankle injury.
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