Sinner drops only three games in ruthless win

Yahoo

2 days ago

Jannik Sinner is looking to win his first French Open title [Getty Images]
French Open 2025
Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros
Coverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app
Jannik Sinner dropped only three games in a ruthless performance as he crushed Jiri Lehecka to reach the French Open fourth round.
The Italian top seed blew the Czech world number 34 away inside one hour and 35 minutes with a 6-0 6-1 6-2 victory.
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Sinner won 11 games in a row to start the match, dropped only nine points on serve and hit 31 winners to nine unforced errors in a classy performance.
The win extended Sinner's winning streak against players ranked outside the top 20 to 64 successive matches.
"After today I don't think there's much I can improve but every opponent is different," three-time major champion Sinner said.
"This morning I said to my team I'm feeling well and physically ready. We had to go hard in the beginning because the beginning is very important for confidence."
Sinner, bidding for a first French Open title, will play 17th seed Andrey Rublev for a place in the quarter-finals.
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Russia's Rublev advanced when France's Arthur Fils withdrew before their match with injury.
Sinner has won the past two Grand Slams, triumphing on the US Open and Australian Open hard courts, and his merciless dismantling of Lehecka underlined his status as the man to beat.
The Italian controlled the action from the baseline and showed great athleticism as he moved around the court.
Sinner started on the front foot, making just one unforced error in a 23-minute first set.
Lehecka finally got on the board for 3-1 in the second set - and was greeted by huge cheers from the crowd on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
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Lehecka, who remained in good spirits despite the scoreline, responded by smiling and raising both arms in the air in celebration.
It was a rare moment of joy for Lehecka, who only won two more games as Sinner continued his sprint towards the finish line, stamping his authority on the performance with an emphatic serve and volley on match point.
Elsewhere, third seed Alexander Zverev saw off unseeded Italian Flavio Cobolli in straight sets to reach the fourth round.
Last year's finalist Zverev won 6-2 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 as he continues his bid for a maiden Grand Slam title.
Zverev will face unseeded Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor next after he beat American Ethan Quinn 4-6 6-1 6-7 (2-7) 6-1 6-4.
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