Injured Alcaraz will come back ‘stronger than before’ – Sinner
Video credit: SNTV
The world No. 1 raced into an early 5-2 lead at the Manolo Santana Stadium before Moller needed a medical timeout for treatment on his abdominal area prior to serving to save the set.
The Dane was unable to stave off the pressure from Sinner as the Italian claimed the first set.And in the second set, Sinner broke Moller early on and raced to victory, securing a 6-2 6-3 win in an hour and 18 minutes.
Sinner will face either No. 19 seed Cameron Norrie or Thiago Agustin Tirante of Argentina in the next round, with the two set to face one another later on Sunday.
”I tried to stay calm and serve well in important moments,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. ”I think that was the key today. There was not a lot of rhythm, so I tried to stay quite compact. Let’s see what’s coming in the next round.”
Sinner’s victory over Moller was his 24th in a row at the ATP Masters 1000 level, which is the fourth longest run in the organisation’s history since its formation in 1990.
The 24-year-old is just four wins away from becoming the first player to win five consecutive Masters 1000 crowns, having claimed titles at the Paris Masters, Indian Wells, the Miami Open and the Monte-Carlo Open over the past few months.
‘He kicked my a**’ – Fils on trying to beat Alcaraz and Sinner
Video credit: SNTV
His victory over Moller – ranked No. 169 in the world and facing a top-10 player for the first time in his career – came with few complications.
The scores had been level at 1-1 in the first set before the four-time Grand Slam winner won four consecutive games to take control.
A surprise break from Moller in the seventh game halted Sinner’s runaway display but the Italian clinched the opening frame with another break.
Although Moller continued to show why he has risen rapidly up the world rankings, it was not enough to knock Sinner off his game.
Two double faults with the scores tied at deuce at 2-3 gave Sinner what proved to be the decisive break in the second set as he romped home to victory.
The Madrid Open is one of the final clay court warm-up tournaments before the French Open, which begins on Sunday, May 24 and will be live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.Sinner is the favourite claim the title at Roland Garros later this month following the withdrawal of back-to-back reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz because of injury.
In Alcaraz’s absence, Sinner will be looking to complete the career Grand Slam in Paris with the French Open the only major title he is missing.
The Italian was beaten by Alcaraz in an epic final at last year’s French Open and will be hoping to go one step further this time round.
TNT Sports is the exclusive French Open broadcaster in the UK and Ireland. Coverage of every court will be available to stream live on HBO Max.
