Seeds fall on Halle grass but the big one takes root
Top seed Jannik Sinner has beaten local hope Yannick Hanfmann 7-5 6-3 to move into the last 16 at the Halle Open as the world No.1 looks to defend the only grasscourt title he has won in his career.
In his first match since the epic Roland Garros final where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz Sinner eased past Hanfmann who is ranked 138 in the world.
"I'm very happy. He is a great server and a great baseliner, so breaking him is very difficult on this surface," Sinner said.
"I'm very happy how I handled the tough situations mentally. The first set could have gone into a tiebreak and then anything can happen.
"First matches are never easy on grass, and also second and third matches. I think tomorrow I have the day off, which is good, because the body feels different on this surface."
Sinner will next face Alexander Bublik, who won the tournament in 2023 and also faced the Italian in the French Open quarter-finals, and the top seed said he can only expect "the unexpected" against the unpredictable Kazakh entertainer.
"He's a great player, a great talent. A huge talent, actually, and grass is his favourite surface. He beat me here in Halle, he won (the trophy) here in Halle, so it's for sure a place he loves to play," Sinner added.
Earlier, Russian fourth seed Andrey Rublev beat Sebastian Ofner 6-3 6-4 to advance but other top seeds Ugo Humbert and Francisco Cerundolo fell.
Denis Shapovalov knocked out sixth seed Humbert 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-4) while American Alex Michelsen beat fifth seed Cerundolo 2-6 7-5 6-4.
Shapovalov's Canadian compatriot Felix Auger-Aliassime also advanced but not before he was taken the distance by Laslo Djere in a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 victory.
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Queen's KO leaves de Minaur undercooked for Wimbledon
Alex de Minaur's quickfire exit from Queen's has left Australia's big Wimbledon hope in danger of heading into the grasscourt grand slam severely undercooked. The Aussie No.1 took a break after suffering a first week exit on the clay of Roland Garros, admitting the unrelenting schedule of the tennis calendar had left him mentally spent and physically drained. He skipped the Rosmalen grasscourt warm-up in the Netherlands, which he won last year, to live the life of a "normal human being ... going for coffees, to dinners, visiting parks and nature, playing golf ... instead of obsessing about tennis 24/7." However, the time out does not seem to have helped, not yet at least. De Minaur lacked sharpness in his first round match at the London ATP 500 event and Jiri Lehecka, a rising Czech with a big serve, took full advantage. The world No.30's average serve, at 211kph, was the same as de Minaur's fastest and he never looked in danger of dropping it as he won 6-4 6-2. De Minaur made uncharacteristic errors on his forehand and his first serve percentage was below 60 per cent. Lehecka had not played on grass for nearly two years, having missed the entirety of the 2024 grasscourt season with a back injury, but looked far more comfortable than de Minaur , a Queen's finalist in 2023 and Wimbledon quarterf-inalist last year, who won three of the last 15 points. "I understand (the need), the schedule is brutal, but it's not the best time to take a break, between two slams," said British former Australian Open finalist John Lloyd on BBC. "You can see he's flat. He needs matches, but he won't get them if he plays like that." De MInaur had not planned to play in either of the final warm-ups next week - Eastbourne on England's south coast and Mallorca, Spain - but may now rethink. Asked how he was feeling he said, "Good question. I'm not too sure. Obviously wasn't the kind of result I was hoping for coming here to Queen's. "So back to the drawing board, and we're going to have to make some decisions." De Minaur had told AAP at the weekend, "so there might be a little bit of a difference or a conversation to be had if Queen's doesn't go well." But he added: "I've got to start having a more of a mentality of a big player and start backing myself to not have to play so many tournaments, back myself to do well in in those big tournaments." Alex de Minaur's quickfire exit from Queen's has left Australia's big Wimbledon hope in danger of heading into the grasscourt grand slam severely undercooked. The Aussie No.1 took a break after suffering a first week exit on the clay of Roland Garros, admitting the unrelenting schedule of the tennis calendar had left him mentally spent and physically drained. He skipped the Rosmalen grasscourt warm-up in the Netherlands, which he won last year, to live the life of a "normal human being ... going for coffees, to dinners, visiting parks and nature, playing golf ... instead of obsessing about tennis 24/7." However, the time out does not seem to have helped, not yet at least. De Minaur lacked sharpness in his first round match at the London ATP 500 event and Jiri Lehecka, a rising Czech with a big serve, took full advantage. The world No.30's average serve, at 211kph, was the same as de Minaur's fastest and he never looked in danger of dropping it as he won 6-4 6-2. De Minaur made uncharacteristic errors on his forehand and his first serve percentage was below 60 per cent. Lehecka had not played on grass for nearly two years, having missed the entirety of the 2024 grasscourt season with a back injury, but looked far more comfortable than de Minaur , a Queen's finalist in 2023 and Wimbledon quarterf-inalist last year, who won three of the last 15 points. "I understand (the need), the schedule is brutal, but it's not the best time to take a break, between two slams," said British former Australian Open finalist John Lloyd on BBC. "You can see he's flat. He needs matches, but he won't get them if he plays like that." De MInaur had not planned to play in either of the final warm-ups next week - Eastbourne on England's south coast and Mallorca, Spain - but may now rethink. Asked how he was feeling he said, "Good question. I'm not too sure. Obviously wasn't the kind of result I was hoping for coming here to Queen's. "So back to the drawing board, and we're going to have to make some decisions." De Minaur had told AAP at the weekend, "so there might be a little bit of a difference or a conversation to be had if Queen's doesn't go well." But he added: "I've got to start having a more of a mentality of a big player and start backing myself to not have to play so many tournaments, back myself to do well in in those big tournaments." Alex de Minaur's quickfire exit from Queen's has left Australia's big Wimbledon hope in danger of heading into the grasscourt grand slam severely undercooked. The Aussie No.1 took a break after suffering a first week exit on the clay of Roland Garros, admitting the unrelenting schedule of the tennis calendar had left him mentally spent and physically drained. He skipped the Rosmalen grasscourt warm-up in the Netherlands, which he won last year, to live the life of a "normal human being ... going for coffees, to dinners, visiting parks and nature, playing golf ... instead of obsessing about tennis 24/7." However, the time out does not seem to have helped, not yet at least. De Minaur lacked sharpness in his first round match at the London ATP 500 event and Jiri Lehecka, a rising Czech with a big serve, took full advantage. The world No.30's average serve, at 211kph, was the same as de Minaur's fastest and he never looked in danger of dropping it as he won 6-4 6-2. De Minaur made uncharacteristic errors on his forehand and his first serve percentage was below 60 per cent. Lehecka had not played on grass for nearly two years, having missed the entirety of the 2024 grasscourt season with a back injury, but looked far more comfortable than de Minaur , a Queen's finalist in 2023 and Wimbledon quarterf-inalist last year, who won three of the last 15 points. "I understand (the need), the schedule is brutal, but it's not the best time to take a break, between two slams," said British former Australian Open finalist John Lloyd on BBC. "You can see he's flat. He needs matches, but he won't get them if he plays like that." De MInaur had not planned to play in either of the final warm-ups next week - Eastbourne on England's south coast and Mallorca, Spain - but may now rethink. Asked how he was feeling he said, "Good question. I'm not too sure. Obviously wasn't the kind of result I was hoping for coming here to Queen's. "So back to the drawing board, and we're going to have to make some decisions." De Minaur had told AAP at the weekend, "so there might be a little bit of a difference or a conversation to be had if Queen's doesn't go well." But he added: "I've got to start having a more of a mentality of a big player and start backing myself to not have to play so many tournaments, back myself to do well in in those big tournaments." Alex de Minaur's quickfire exit from Queen's has left Australia's big Wimbledon hope in danger of heading into the grasscourt grand slam severely undercooked. The Aussie No.1 took a break after suffering a first week exit on the clay of Roland Garros, admitting the unrelenting schedule of the tennis calendar had left him mentally spent and physically drained. He skipped the Rosmalen grasscourt warm-up in the Netherlands, which he won last year, to live the life of a "normal human being ... going for coffees, to dinners, visiting parks and nature, playing golf ... instead of obsessing about tennis 24/7." However, the time out does not seem to have helped, not yet at least. De Minaur lacked sharpness in his first round match at the London ATP 500 event and Jiri Lehecka, a rising Czech with a big serve, took full advantage. The world No.30's average serve, at 211kph, was the same as de Minaur's fastest and he never looked in danger of dropping it as he won 6-4 6-2. De Minaur made uncharacteristic errors on his forehand and his first serve percentage was below 60 per cent. Lehecka had not played on grass for nearly two years, having missed the entirety of the 2024 grasscourt season with a back injury, but looked far more comfortable than de Minaur , a Queen's finalist in 2023 and Wimbledon quarterf-inalist last year, who won three of the last 15 points. "I understand (the need), the schedule is brutal, but it's not the best time to take a break, between two slams," said British former Australian Open finalist John Lloyd on BBC. "You can see he's flat. He needs matches, but he won't get them if he plays like that." De MInaur had not planned to play in either of the final warm-ups next week - Eastbourne on England's south coast and Mallorca, Spain - but may now rethink. Asked how he was feeling he said, "Good question. I'm not too sure. Obviously wasn't the kind of result I was hoping for coming here to Queen's. "So back to the drawing board, and we're going to have to make some decisions." De Minaur had told AAP at the weekend, "so there might be a little bit of a difference or a conversation to be had if Queen's doesn't go well." But he added: "I've got to start having a more of a mentality of a big player and start backing myself to not have to play so many tournaments, back myself to do well in in those big tournaments."
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Contrasting surprises for Australians at Queen's
Alex de Minaur has crashed out of Queen's at the first hurdle in a serious blow for the Australian No.1 with Wimbledon looming. But there was a much better outing for Alexei Popyrin, who has the tools and form to spring a surprise at the London grand slam, and enjoyed a very useful work-out in beating compatriot Aleksandar Vukic in three sets. There was also a shock main court appearance for Adam Walton, who was suddenly called up to face world No.2 Carlos Alcaraz as a lucky loser. That was because Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - who had come to England after getting married in Marbella, Spain, at the weekend - had withdrawn with illness. Walton, ranked 86, lost 6-4 7-6 (7-4) but acquitted himself well in his main draw Queen's debut under a blazing sun on Andy Murray Arena. In the first set he held serve easily to 3-3, but was then broken in his fourth service game after saving several break points, to give Alcaraz a lead he did not relinquish. But Alcaraz, the 2023 Queen's winner who will soon be bidding for a third successive Wimbledon title, was unable to break Walton in the second set and needed the tiebreak to take the set, and match. Alcaraz had been practising with another Aussie, Jordan Thompson, when he was given the news, which he greeted with a grin towards Thompson.. But Thompson was not smiling later on Tuesday as he was forced to retire when playing Jaume Munar. Munar will now play Alcaraz in an all-Spanish clash. It was not immediately clear why Thompson, who had lost the first set 7-5, had retired, but with Wimbledon imminent it may have been precautionary. De Minaur was playing his first match on grass this year, and his first on any surface since tumbling out of Roland Garros in the first week. He had taken a break to reset, professing mental and physical burn-out, but looked flat on court as he lost 6-4 6-2 to powerful world No.30 Jiri Lehecka. De Minaur was broken in the opening game, and never managed to break back in the first set as Lehecka served up to 226kph. He was unable to break in the second set either, dropping serve himself at 1-1, in part due to an unlucky netcord, and 2-4. "There's not too many positives I can take out of today. Just not a good day at the office - I wasn't up for the level," said de Minaur. "If you want to be effective against him, you've got to be ready from the very first point till the last and you need to bring a high level. Today I did not do that. Forehand errors and a poor first serve were de Minaur's main failings, though Lehecka played well too. "We all know how well Alex can play on grass, I knew I needed to serve well and be aggressive," said the Czech. "The first game was very important, to be a break up was a great advantage." It was the first time Lehecka had beaten a top-12 ranked player on grass. Popyrin, now ranked 21, took the first set against Vukic easily enough but was then drawn into a dogfight which will prove useful for both players, eventually winning 6-2 6-7 (9-11) 7-6 (7-3). Popyrin will now play Jack Draper, the British No.1 and No.2 seed, who dismissed Jenson Brooksby 6-3 6-1. Alex de Minaur has crashed out of Queen's at the first hurdle in a serious blow for the Australian No.1 with Wimbledon looming. But there was a much better outing for Alexei Popyrin, who has the tools and form to spring a surprise at the London grand slam, and enjoyed a very useful work-out in beating compatriot Aleksandar Vukic in three sets. There was also a shock main court appearance for Adam Walton, who was suddenly called up to face world No.2 Carlos Alcaraz as a lucky loser. That was because Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - who had come to England after getting married in Marbella, Spain, at the weekend - had withdrawn with illness. Walton, ranked 86, lost 6-4 7-6 (7-4) but acquitted himself well in his main draw Queen's debut under a blazing sun on Andy Murray Arena. In the first set he held serve easily to 3-3, but was then broken in his fourth service game after saving several break points, to give Alcaraz a lead he did not relinquish. But Alcaraz, the 2023 Queen's winner who will soon be bidding for a third successive Wimbledon title, was unable to break Walton in the second set and needed the tiebreak to take the set, and match. Alcaraz had been practising with another Aussie, Jordan Thompson, when he was given the news, which he greeted with a grin towards Thompson.. But Thompson was not smiling later on Tuesday as he was forced to retire when playing Jaume Munar. Munar will now play Alcaraz in an all-Spanish clash. It was not immediately clear why Thompson, who had lost the first set 7-5, had retired, but with Wimbledon imminent it may have been precautionary. De Minaur was playing his first match on grass this year, and his first on any surface since tumbling out of Roland Garros in the first week. He had taken a break to reset, professing mental and physical burn-out, but looked flat on court as he lost 6-4 6-2 to powerful world No.30 Jiri Lehecka. De Minaur was broken in the opening game, and never managed to break back in the first set as Lehecka served up to 226kph. He was unable to break in the second set either, dropping serve himself at 1-1, in part due to an unlucky netcord, and 2-4. "There's not too many positives I can take out of today. Just not a good day at the office - I wasn't up for the level," said de Minaur. "If you want to be effective against him, you've got to be ready from the very first point till the last and you need to bring a high level. Today I did not do that. Forehand errors and a poor first serve were de Minaur's main failings, though Lehecka played well too. "We all know how well Alex can play on grass, I knew I needed to serve well and be aggressive," said the Czech. "The first game was very important, to be a break up was a great advantage." It was the first time Lehecka had beaten a top-12 ranked player on grass. Popyrin, now ranked 21, took the first set against Vukic easily enough but was then drawn into a dogfight which will prove useful for both players, eventually winning 6-2 6-7 (9-11) 7-6 (7-3). Popyrin will now play Jack Draper, the British No.1 and No.2 seed, who dismissed Jenson Brooksby 6-3 6-1. Alex de Minaur has crashed out of Queen's at the first hurdle in a serious blow for the Australian No.1 with Wimbledon looming. But there was a much better outing for Alexei Popyrin, who has the tools and form to spring a surprise at the London grand slam, and enjoyed a very useful work-out in beating compatriot Aleksandar Vukic in three sets. There was also a shock main court appearance for Adam Walton, who was suddenly called up to face world No.2 Carlos Alcaraz as a lucky loser. That was because Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - who had come to England after getting married in Marbella, Spain, at the weekend - had withdrawn with illness. Walton, ranked 86, lost 6-4 7-6 (7-4) but acquitted himself well in his main draw Queen's debut under a blazing sun on Andy Murray Arena. In the first set he held serve easily to 3-3, but was then broken in his fourth service game after saving several break points, to give Alcaraz a lead he did not relinquish. But Alcaraz, the 2023 Queen's winner who will soon be bidding for a third successive Wimbledon title, was unable to break Walton in the second set and needed the tiebreak to take the set, and match. Alcaraz had been practising with another Aussie, Jordan Thompson, when he was given the news, which he greeted with a grin towards Thompson.. But Thompson was not smiling later on Tuesday as he was forced to retire when playing Jaume Munar. Munar will now play Alcaraz in an all-Spanish clash. It was not immediately clear why Thompson, who had lost the first set 7-5, had retired, but with Wimbledon imminent it may have been precautionary. De Minaur was playing his first match on grass this year, and his first on any surface since tumbling out of Roland Garros in the first week. He had taken a break to reset, professing mental and physical burn-out, but looked flat on court as he lost 6-4 6-2 to powerful world No.30 Jiri Lehecka. De Minaur was broken in the opening game, and never managed to break back in the first set as Lehecka served up to 226kph. He was unable to break in the second set either, dropping serve himself at 1-1, in part due to an unlucky netcord, and 2-4. "There's not too many positives I can take out of today. Just not a good day at the office - I wasn't up for the level," said de Minaur. "If you want to be effective against him, you've got to be ready from the very first point till the last and you need to bring a high level. Today I did not do that. Forehand errors and a poor first serve were de Minaur's main failings, though Lehecka played well too. "We all know how well Alex can play on grass, I knew I needed to serve well and be aggressive," said the Czech. "The first game was very important, to be a break up was a great advantage." It was the first time Lehecka had beaten a top-12 ranked player on grass. Popyrin, now ranked 21, took the first set against Vukic easily enough but was then drawn into a dogfight which will prove useful for both players, eventually winning 6-2 6-7 (9-11) 7-6 (7-3). Popyrin will now play Jack Draper, the British No.1 and No.2 seed, who dismissed Jenson Brooksby 6-3 6-1. Alex de Minaur has crashed out of Queen's at the first hurdle in a serious blow for the Australian No.1 with Wimbledon looming. But there was a much better outing for Alexei Popyrin, who has the tools and form to spring a surprise at the London grand slam, and enjoyed a very useful work-out in beating compatriot Aleksandar Vukic in three sets. There was also a shock main court appearance for Adam Walton, who was suddenly called up to face world No.2 Carlos Alcaraz as a lucky loser. That was because Alejandro Davidovich Fokina - who had come to England after getting married in Marbella, Spain, at the weekend - had withdrawn with illness. Walton, ranked 86, lost 6-4 7-6 (7-4) but acquitted himself well in his main draw Queen's debut under a blazing sun on Andy Murray Arena. In the first set he held serve easily to 3-3, but was then broken in his fourth service game after saving several break points, to give Alcaraz a lead he did not relinquish. But Alcaraz, the 2023 Queen's winner who will soon be bidding for a third successive Wimbledon title, was unable to break Walton in the second set and needed the tiebreak to take the set, and match. Alcaraz had been practising with another Aussie, Jordan Thompson, when he was given the news, which he greeted with a grin towards Thompson.. But Thompson was not smiling later on Tuesday as he was forced to retire when playing Jaume Munar. Munar will now play Alcaraz in an all-Spanish clash. It was not immediately clear why Thompson, who had lost the first set 7-5, had retired, but with Wimbledon imminent it may have been precautionary. De Minaur was playing his first match on grass this year, and his first on any surface since tumbling out of Roland Garros in the first week. He had taken a break to reset, professing mental and physical burn-out, but looked flat on court as he lost 6-4 6-2 to powerful world No.30 Jiri Lehecka. De Minaur was broken in the opening game, and never managed to break back in the first set as Lehecka served up to 226kph. He was unable to break in the second set either, dropping serve himself at 1-1, in part due to an unlucky netcord, and 2-4. "There's not too many positives I can take out of today. Just not a good day at the office - I wasn't up for the level," said de Minaur. "If you want to be effective against him, you've got to be ready from the very first point till the last and you need to bring a high level. Today I did not do that. Forehand errors and a poor first serve were de Minaur's main failings, though Lehecka played well too. "We all know how well Alex can play on grass, I knew I needed to serve well and be aggressive," said the Czech. "The first game was very important, to be a break up was a great advantage." It was the first time Lehecka had beaten a top-12 ranked player on grass. Popyrin, now ranked 21, took the first set against Vukic easily enough but was then drawn into a dogfight which will prove useful for both players, eventually winning 6-2 6-7 (9-11) 7-6 (7-3). Popyrin will now play Jack Draper, the British No.1 and No.2 seed, who dismissed Jenson Brooksby 6-3 6-1.
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an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Seeds fall on Halle grass but the big one takes root
Top seed Jannik Sinner has beaten local hope Yannick Hanfmann 7-5 6-3 to move into the last 16 at the Halle Open as the world No.1 looks to defend the only grasscourt title he has won in his career. In his first match since the epic Roland Garros final where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz Sinner eased past Hanfmann who is ranked 138 in the world. "I'm very happy. He is a great server and a great baseliner, so breaking him is very difficult on this surface," Sinner said. "I'm very happy how I handled the tough situations mentally. The first set could have gone into a tiebreak and then anything can happen. "First matches are never easy on grass, and also second and third matches. I think tomorrow I have the day off, which is good, because the body feels different on this surface." Sinner will next face Alexander Bublik, who won the tournament in 2023 and also faced the Italian in the French Open quarter-finals, and the top seed said he can only expect "the unexpected" against the unpredictable Kazakh entertainer. "He's a great player, a great talent. A huge talent, actually, and grass is his favourite surface. He beat me here in Halle, he won (the trophy) here in Halle, so it's for sure a place he loves to play," Sinner added. Earlier, Russian fourth seed Andrey Rublev beat Sebastian Ofner 6-3 6-4 to advance but other top seeds Ugo Humbert and Francisco Cerundolo fell. Denis Shapovalov knocked out sixth seed Humbert 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-4) while American Alex Michelsen beat fifth seed Cerundolo 2-6 7-5 6-4. Shapovalov's Canadian compatriot Felix Auger-Aliassime also advanced but not before he was taken the distance by Laslo Djere in a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 victory. Top seed Jannik Sinner has beaten local hope Yannick Hanfmann 7-5 6-3 to move into the last 16 at the Halle Open as the world No.1 looks to defend the only grasscourt title he has won in his career. In his first match since the epic Roland Garros final where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz Sinner eased past Hanfmann who is ranked 138 in the world. "I'm very happy. He is a great server and a great baseliner, so breaking him is very difficult on this surface," Sinner said. "I'm very happy how I handled the tough situations mentally. The first set could have gone into a tiebreak and then anything can happen. "First matches are never easy on grass, and also second and third matches. I think tomorrow I have the day off, which is good, because the body feels different on this surface." Sinner will next face Alexander Bublik, who won the tournament in 2023 and also faced the Italian in the French Open quarter-finals, and the top seed said he can only expect "the unexpected" against the unpredictable Kazakh entertainer. "He's a great player, a great talent. A huge talent, actually, and grass is his favourite surface. He beat me here in Halle, he won (the trophy) here in Halle, so it's for sure a place he loves to play," Sinner added. Earlier, Russian fourth seed Andrey Rublev beat Sebastian Ofner 6-3 6-4 to advance but other top seeds Ugo Humbert and Francisco Cerundolo fell. Denis Shapovalov knocked out sixth seed Humbert 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-4) while American Alex Michelsen beat fifth seed Cerundolo 2-6 7-5 6-4. Shapovalov's Canadian compatriot Felix Auger-Aliassime also advanced but not before he was taken the distance by Laslo Djere in a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 victory. Top seed Jannik Sinner has beaten local hope Yannick Hanfmann 7-5 6-3 to move into the last 16 at the Halle Open as the world No.1 looks to defend the only grasscourt title he has won in his career. In his first match since the epic Roland Garros final where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz Sinner eased past Hanfmann who is ranked 138 in the world. "I'm very happy. He is a great server and a great baseliner, so breaking him is very difficult on this surface," Sinner said. "I'm very happy how I handled the tough situations mentally. The first set could have gone into a tiebreak and then anything can happen. "First matches are never easy on grass, and also second and third matches. I think tomorrow I have the day off, which is good, because the body feels different on this surface." Sinner will next face Alexander Bublik, who won the tournament in 2023 and also faced the Italian in the French Open quarter-finals, and the top seed said he can only expect "the unexpected" against the unpredictable Kazakh entertainer. "He's a great player, a great talent. A huge talent, actually, and grass is his favourite surface. He beat me here in Halle, he won (the trophy) here in Halle, so it's for sure a place he loves to play," Sinner added. Earlier, Russian fourth seed Andrey Rublev beat Sebastian Ofner 6-3 6-4 to advance but other top seeds Ugo Humbert and Francisco Cerundolo fell. Denis Shapovalov knocked out sixth seed Humbert 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-4) while American Alex Michelsen beat fifth seed Cerundolo 2-6 7-5 6-4. Shapovalov's Canadian compatriot Felix Auger-Aliassime also advanced but not before he was taken the distance by Laslo Djere in a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 victory. Top seed Jannik Sinner has beaten local hope Yannick Hanfmann 7-5 6-3 to move into the last 16 at the Halle Open as the world No.1 looks to defend the only grasscourt title he has won in his career. In his first match since the epic Roland Garros final where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz Sinner eased past Hanfmann who is ranked 138 in the world. "I'm very happy. He is a great server and a great baseliner, so breaking him is very difficult on this surface," Sinner said. "I'm very happy how I handled the tough situations mentally. The first set could have gone into a tiebreak and then anything can happen. "First matches are never easy on grass, and also second and third matches. I think tomorrow I have the day off, which is good, because the body feels different on this surface." Sinner will next face Alexander Bublik, who won the tournament in 2023 and also faced the Italian in the French Open quarter-finals, and the top seed said he can only expect "the unexpected" against the unpredictable Kazakh entertainer. "He's a great player, a great talent. A huge talent, actually, and grass is his favourite surface. He beat me here in Halle, he won (the trophy) here in Halle, so it's for sure a place he loves to play," Sinner added. Earlier, Russian fourth seed Andrey Rublev beat Sebastian Ofner 6-3 6-4 to advance but other top seeds Ugo Humbert and Francisco Cerundolo fell. Denis Shapovalov knocked out sixth seed Humbert 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-4) while American Alex Michelsen beat fifth seed Cerundolo 2-6 7-5 6-4. Shapovalov's Canadian compatriot Felix Auger-Aliassime also advanced but not before he was taken the distance by Laslo Djere in a 6-3 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 victory.
