Jannik Sinner continued his Cincinnati Open title defence after coming through a tough test against Gabriel Diallo.
The Italian is playing in his first tournament since July, where Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz to win Wimbledon.
Sinner, 23, dispatched qualifier Daniel Galán 6-1, 6-1 to open his campaign in Ohio, but it certainly was not a straightforward victory against Diallo.
Jannik Sinner was pushed to a second-set tiebreak by the Canadian, who earned himself a set point. But the world number one showed why he is at the summit of men’s tennis and won the next three points to complete a hard-fought victory.
Jannik Sinner says the ball flies through the air less at night at the Cincinnati Open
The Cincinnati Open is known for having some of the fastest courts on the tennis circuit.
The hard courts at the Ohio-based ATP and WTA 1000 events suit the big servers and hard hitters, and Sinner was up against a stronger serve in Diallo under the lights on the P&G Center Court.
Diallo served ten aces and made a higher percentage of first serves than Sinner, but he committed 10 double faults and struggled on his second serve, winning just 23% of the points.
Sinner took advantage of the fast conditions by producing aggressive returns to put his opponent immediately under pressure in the rallies. This is exactly how he saved set point in the second set tiebreak before completing a 6-2, 7-6(6) victory.
The Diallo victory was Sinner’s first night match of the Cincinnati Open, and after the match he explained the difference between playing in the sunshine and under the floodlights.
“The other day I had to play the day session and today the night one. I would say the ball is still flying a lot, too much, although maybe at this time it is noticeable a little less,” Sinner explained.
“Anyway, these matches we play at night, if we compare them with the ones we play during the day, are positive.
“Now I have to prepare for a new challenge for the next round knowing that conditions will again be very difficult, so I can only have a strong mentality, accepting certain situations that will occur on the court.”
Jannik Sinner says the Gabriel Diallo match was a ‘difficult day at the office’
The Cincinnati Open marked the first time that Sinner squared off against Diallo.
Though Sinner eased through the first set he pushed hard in the second and found himself one point away from going into a deciding set.
Despite the challenges that Diallo posed, Sinner is thrilled to have come through in straight sets, and test himself early in the tournament and with the US Open on the horizon.
“It was a tough match, it felt like a very difficult day in the office. I think he served unbelievably all the time, but especially in the second set,” said Sinner, who plays Adrian Mannarino next.
“When facing these types of opponents, who are great servers, you always have to find a certain balance from the back of the court, which can take some time.
“In that sense, today I had problems during many phases of the match, but right now I am happy with the result.
“In the end, this is what I was looking for, I need matches as tough as this, being immersed in adverse situations during the game.”
