The second seed won his third straight straight-set match in Paris, defeating Pavel Kotov 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, to continue his perfect start to the clay-court major. In a two-hour, 27-minute match between two of the purest ballstrikers on the ATP Tour, Sinner prevailed thanks to an unwavering all-around performance.
After defeating the World No. 56 in Madrid last month, Sinner’s triumph was assured with just one break of service in each set, increasing his advantage in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series versus Kotov to 2-0. Currently at 31-2 on the year, Sinner’s next opponent in Paris will be either home favorite Corentin Moutet or Sebastian Ofner.
After missing the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome due to a hip issue, Sinner entered the tournament with an injury cloud. He stated that his major physical concern at this point was with his general match conditioning.
Sinner exclaimed, “I’m really, really proud that the hip feels good right now.” “Myself and my group performed a great job to earn the right to play here.
“The general physical shape is not where I want to be. We try to prepare my body in the best possible way. The weather today was also different. It was very cold, so it’s also different to play. The balls and the court are very heavy.”
In a thrilling battle on Court Philippe-Chatrier, neither Sinner nor Kotov held back with their groundstrokes, but Sinner’s serving prowess proved to be the difference. According to Infosys Stats, the Italian concluded the match having won 79 percent (41/52) of the points behind his initial delivery. He survived the lone break point he faced while leading 3-2 in the second set.
This week at Roland Garros, Sinner is vying for two prizes. In addition to seeking his second major championship after winning the Australian Open in January, the 22-year-old can secure his first-ever ascent to the top of the PIF ATP Rankings by making it to the final in Paris. Sinner will take the top rank on June 10th even if he is unable to achieve his goal, provided that Novak Djokovic is unable to advance to the championship match.
Sinner, a 2020 Roland Garros quarterfinalist, is favored to face Carlos Alcaraz, his fiercest opponent, in the semifinals. But as he pursues his fourth tour-level trophy of the year in the French capital, he is unlikely to be thinking past his encounter with Ofner or Moutet in the fourth round.
“Tennis-wise I felt quite good today on court. Physically I feel like I still have to improve a couple of things,” stated, “Physically, I feel like I still have to improve a couple of things.” “It’s very important to rest, especially tomorrow. I’m trying to be ready for the next round.”
“It’s a very physical Grand Slam, so every single situation on the court I try to judge it in a positive way at the moment. I know that there are tough moments on the court, but you have to accept it and see the general side.”
Even though Kotov lost to Sinner, his first major third-round appearance has helped his chances of breaking into the Top 50 for the first time. Kotov is only 25 years old. After his performance at Roland Garros, where he overcame 32nd seed Cameron Norrie and previous champion Stan Wawrinka in the opening two rounds, he is up five spots to No. 51 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.