Did Jannik Sinner Start Strongly on His Doha Debut?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Doha, Feb 17 (NationPress) Just two weeks after facing a five-set loss against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, Jannik Sinner achieved a strong start at the Qatar Open, marking his debut with a convincing 6-1, 6-4 victory over Tomas Machac at the ATP 500 hard-court event.
In just 70 minutes, the second seed extended his impressive winning streak at this level to 11 matches, having previously secured titles in Beijing and Vienna last October.
During a dominant first set, Sinner conceded only six points on his serve and handled Machac’s early surge in the second set with ease. Although he missed three match points during a thrilling ninth game filled with spectacular shots from both competitors, Sinner ultimately sealed the match confidently on his serve.
With Carlos Alcaraz, the top seed and his fierce competitor, also in the Doha lineup, Sinner aims to maintain their dominance whenever they compete together. Notably, since Andrey Rublev's victory in Madrid in May 2024, no player has claimed a tour-level title at an event featuring both Sinner and Alcaraz, as reported by ATP.
Sinner's next challenge is against Alexei Popyrin, who advanced smoothly past Qatari wild card Mubarak Shannan Zayid with a score of 6-0, 6-2.
In other matches, Daniil Medvedev rebounded from his first-round exit in Rotterdam with a decisive 6-4, 6-2 win over Shang Juncheng in Doha. The 30-year-old, who won the tournament in 2023, is among three former champions competing alongside Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov.
Jakub Mensik and Arthur Fils also secured their places in the second round in Doha, with both achieving three-set victories. Sixth seed Mensik triumphed over qualifier Jan Choinski 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4, while Fils defeated Kamil Majchrzak 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.