ATP Finals – Jannik Sinner eases past Stefanos Tsitsipas in opening match to delight home crowd

Jannik Sinner got his ATP Finals campaign off to a winning start with a 6-4 6-4 victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Sinner seemed to thrive in front of a home crowd at Turin’s Pala Alpitour, with the Italian defeating his Greek opponent in one hour and 25 minutes.

The 22-year-old earned a break point in the fifth game of the first set to gain the advantage over Tsitsipas, before holding his nerve to prevent his opponent from getting back into the encounter.

Sinner maintained control of the match at the start of the second set, breaking in the first game as Tsitsipas struggled to respond to his powerful shots.

Indeed, Sinner’s powerful serve proved to be an effective weapon throughout the match, with the fourth seed hitting nine aces and winning 89% of first-serve points. Meanwhile, Tsitsipas did not force a single break point during the match.

Cheered on by the Italian crowd, Sinner won the encounter on his first match point. It was his third victory against Tsitsipas, having lost on five other occasions to the ATP Finals sixth seed.

“I was excited to step on court and opening the Finals is really, really special,” Sinner said.

“I knew it was going to be very tough but I think I handled the situation well. I tried to stay aggressive and I am very happy with the performance.

“I am happy to start off with a win and hopefully I can continue with this intensity.”

Sinner is competing at the ATP Finals as a qualifier for the first time, having played as an alternate at the event in 2021 after Matteo Berrettini withdrew through injury.

Sinner is now top of the Green Group at the ATP Finals, although six-time champion Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune are still to play on Sunday evening.

Tsitsipas is competing at the prestigious end-of-season tournament for the fifth time, having won the tournament in 2019.