Rotterdam Open: Sinner holds off Wawrinka fightback, into semi-finals
Jannik Sinner defeated Stan Wawrinka 6-1, 6-3 on Friday. He’ll play the winner of the match between wildcard Gijs Brouwer and wildcard Tallon Griekspoor in the next round
Jannik Sinner in Rotterdam (Pim Waslander | ABN AMRO Open)
Italian Jannik Sinner advanced to the semi-finals of the Rotterdam Open by beating Swiss Stan Wawrinka 6-1, 6-3 at the Rotterdam Ahoy on Friday.
Sinner, ranked No 14, will play the winner of the match between wildcard Gijs Brouwer and wildcard Tallon Griekspoor next.
Sinner extended his winning streak to six matches after his title win in Montpellier last week. This is his first semi-final in Rotterdam, and his first semi-final above ATP 250 level since Vienna back in October 2021.
The defeat means that Wawrinka will not return to the top 100 quite yet, which would have been assured with a win.
He was clearly frustrated with his performance and the incessant pressure Sinner was putting on him, breaking his racquet over his foot and knee in the second set.
But the display of temper – plus the exuberant support and advice from a young fan in the front row – inspired him to something of a resurgence, levelling up at 3-3.
In the end, though, Sinner was inexorable.
The 21-year-old Italian won against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi (6-2, 3-6, 6-1) and Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, the top seed (6-4, 6-3) ahead of his victory.
In the previous rounds of the Rotterdam tournament, Wawrinka, ranked No 130, defeated Kazakh Alexander Bublik (7-6 (5), 6-4) and Frenchman Richard Gasquet (6-3, 6-3).
And as he left the arena, he presented a towel and his broken racquet to the child who had been supporting him so loudly, who looked frankly thrilled.
Rotterdam ATP250, other last 8 results (Rotterdam Ahoy, hard, EUR 2.074.505, most recent results first):
- Gijs Brouwer vs. Tallon Griekspoor
- Daniil Medvedev (6) beat Felix Auger-Aliassime (3): 6-2, 6-4
- Grigor Dimitrov beat Alex De Minaur: 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (6)
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