Sinner keeps title defence on track with clinical win over Tabilo to reach Montreal quarter-finals
Jannik Sinner defeated Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 6-3 at the National Bank Open. He will face Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals
Zuma / Panoramic
Just under twelve months ago, Jannik Sinner won the then-biggest title of his career with victory at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
In the year that followed, the young Italian has enjoyed phenomenal success, winning his maiden Grand Slam title in Melbourne at the start of this season and rising to become the new world No 1 soon after.
Breaking that Masters 1000 barrier in Toronto last August has proved to be a powerful catalyst for an unprecedented period of growth in Sinner’s career.
This year, he returns to the National Bank Open a little over 500 miles east of his triumph in Toronto, in what is his first attempt at a successful defence of a 1000-level title.
It remains well on track.
The top seed today took a second step towards retaining his Canadian crown, beating talented Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals in Montreal.
With the win, Sinner improves his win-loss record on hard courts this season to 24-1, with his only loss on the surface coming in the semi-finals of Indian Wells to Carlos Alcaraz.
While Tabilo put up an impressive fight, this was a clinical display of world-leading professionalism from Sinner, who broke in the seventh game of the first set to lay down the foundation for a straight-set win.
The second saw an early break for the Italian, but Tabilo refused to fade, holding serve well to stay in touch with his opponent. That resistance eventually buckled in the ninth and final game of the stanza, as Sinner earned his third break of the match to clinch victory and return to the last eight of the National Bank Open.
“Tricky opponent, tricky conditions,” Sinner said following victory.
“It is difficult playing against this type of player. Huge lefty, big potential. I had to be very careful, looking a lot to make the game.
“It felt like a good match. I know in my mind I have to play one more time [today], so there is not much time to be happy and recover. I am happy to play again later.”
sinner to return to court later today against andrey rublev as title defence continues
As indicated by those post-match comments, Sinner will be required to return to court again later this evening after non-stop rain wiped out the day’s play yesterday. He will face fellow top-ten mainstay Andrey Rublev in that quarter-final match after the Russian confidently dispatched Brandon Nakashima earlier in the day.
“If I want to play the second match today, I had to win the first one,” Sinner added.
“So if it took three or four hours, it takes that long. It will be a tough match against Andrey. He played great today.”
Having missed the 2024 Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis, in what was a bitter blow for the Italian, Sinner has reset well, travelling to Canada to kick off his North American hard-court swing with a clean slate after a taxing European clay and grass-court stretch.
With both Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic absent in Canada after their exertions in Paris, and with 1000 ranking points to defend along with his title, Sinner will view anything other than taking the title in Montreal as an underachievement.
This pays great testament to just how far the young Italian has come since twelve months ago, when victory in Toronto marked the biggest accomplishment of his career up to that point.
Now, defending champion and world No 1, the reigning Australian Open titlist is the expectant incumbent as he sets his sights on another much bigger prize in New York at the end of the month.
