Jannik Sinner introduced himself to the partisan crowd at Foro Italico with a win in 2019. The young Italian returned stronger to the Rome Masters in September 2020 and stunned the 3rd seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-1, 6-7, 6-2 in two hours and 13 minutes, serving revenge for the last year's defeat. The Italian won almost 30 points more than Stefanos for a well-deserved second top-10 victory. Jannik lost serve twice from three break chances offered to Stefanos. The home favorite earned seven breaks from 14 opportunities to control sets one and three and advance into the third round. Sinner had 27 winners and 39 unforced errors, leaving the Greek on 16 winners and almost 60 mistakes, as Tsitsipas failed to bring his best tennis in the sets he lost. A teenager had the upper hand in the opener, dropping two points on serve and delivering three breaks for 6-1 in 30 minutes! Tsitsipas suffered a break in the encounter's first game following Sinner's forehand winner, which is never a good sign.
Jannik Sinner toppled Stefanos Tsitsipas in Rome 2020.Jannik wasted two more break opportunities in the third game before winning four straight points in game five to open a 4-1 gap. Stefanos squandered a 40-15 lead in the seventh game and lost serve for the third time after a double fault to lose the opener in no time against an inspired rival. Jannik secured a break in the second set's second game and raced into a 5-2 advantage. The Italian served for a dominant victory in game nine when the nerves started to show. The Greek broke back and held in the next one to level the score at 5-5 and increase the drama. Stefanos broke again in game 11 and serve for the set at 6-5.
Sinner erased the deficit in the last moment and broke back to reach a tie break. It saw 20 points, and Tsitsipas fended off two match points at 6-7 and 8-9 before stealing the breaker 11-9 after Sinner's massive forehand error. Like the second set never happened, Jannik took charge in the decider. The home favorite rattled off 16 straight points on serve and stole Tsitsipas' serve in games one and three to forge the crucial advantage. The Italian broke in the first game with a cracking forehand down the line winner. He clinched another return game at 2-0 and held at love for another big step toward the win. Jannik produced a hold at love in game six after three winners and sealed the deal with another at 5-2 for a place in the last 16.
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