French Open: Calm outside, storm within, Jannik Sinner powers into quarters

India Today

2 days ago

Jannik Sinner continued to showcase his growing prowess on clay, as the World No. 1 secured a commanding win over 17th seed Andrey Rublev in the fourth round of the French Open on Monday, June 2. Sinner played flawless tennis under the lights at Philippe-Chatrier, needing just two hours to dismantle Rublev 6-1, 6-3, 6-4.Sinner reached his third Roland Garros quarterfinal. The Italian, who won the US Open last year and the Australian Open earlier this year, has matched Andre Aggasi and Boris Becker in the list of men with most successive wins in Grand Slams in the Open Era -- 18.advertisementFrench Open Day 9 Highlights
Sinner displayed a monk-like calm on court, never flinching during a sensational performance against Rublev, one of the tour's most powerful hitters. The Italian faced two break points in the opening game and it was the only moment he looked remotely vulnerable. With his breathtaking groundstrokes, Sinner neutralised the threat and raced through the first set in just 30 minutes.From there, Sinner did not give an inch. Rublev had no answers to the Italian's mastery on Chatrier, losing the second set 3-6. Though Rublev attempted to raise his level in the third in a bid to extend the contest, he managed only four games before Sinner found the decisive break and closed out a straight-sets victory.Sinner struck 25 winners, just one more than Rublev. But the key difference lay in the unforced errors: Rublev racked up 39, 20 more than the Italian. Pressured to produce something extraordinary, Rublev's best simply wasn't enough on the night. Sinner won 81 percent of points on his first serve and 69 percent on his second, while Rublev could manage only 29 percent success on his second serve.advertisementWhen asked how he maintains such a zen-like demeanour on court, Sinner admitted it's not quite as it seems.'Absolutely not true,' Sinner said, when asked if he's naturally calm. 'Inside, there's a storm going on. But tennis is a very mental game — you try to show nothing to your opponent. I try to understand how my opponent is feeling. Early in my career, the storm was also on the outside. I'm happy with how I'm handling situations now,' he added.BUBLIK STUNS DRAPER IN FOUR SETSSinner will next face Alexander Bublik, who became the first Kazakh player to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final in men's singles. Bublik delivered a stunning performance to knock out 5th seed Jack Draper in the fourth round on Monday.The 27-year-old, ranked World No. 62, was visibly emotional as he was cheered on by his wife at Chatrier. Though he struggled slightly to close out the match in his final service game, Bublik held his nerve to seal the win in four sets and avoid a deciding fifth.Bublik getting emotional after his huge win #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/vWy67qvaf1— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 2, 2025The result marked a major upset, as Draper had been considered one of the tournament's dark horses, tipped by John McEnroe to make a deep run at Roland Garros.advertisement'Sometimes in life there's only one chance. I had a feeling that was mine and I couldn't let it slip. Standing here it's the best moment of my life,' Bublik said.Earlier in the day, Novak Djokovic claimed his 100th win at Roland Garros, setting up a mouth-watering quarter-final clash with Alexander Zverev.