Jannik Sinner reached the Round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with a 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 6-4 win over Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi after 2 hours and 38 minutes. Sinner will face Nick Kyrgios in the next round.
Sinner saved two set points at 4-5 15-40 to hold serve for 5-5. The Italian Next Gen star suffered from dizziness and stomach problems and called the medical time-out.
Sinner raced to a 5-1 lead in the tie-break. Bonzi came back by winning four consecutive points to draw level to 5-5. Sinner won two consecutive points to close out the opening set 7-5.
Bonzi went up an early break in the first game of the second set. Sinner wasted three break-back points at 3-4. Bonzi earned another break in the next game to seal the second set 6-3.
Sinner broke in the third game of the third set and missed two double break points at 3-1. The 2021 Miami Open finalist fended off a break-back point at 3-2 before earning another break at 4-2 with a passing shot. Sinner held serve at 15 at 5-4 and sealed the win on his second match point.
“I did not feel well during the first set, but fortunately I recovered. I was a bit lucky as we played in the evening. Bonzi played very well with his backhand. The most important thing was to stay in the match and find a solution, even though I was not playing well. I felt that I had to play much better on the most important points. I was solid on serve in the second set. I will play a very tough match against Kyrgios in the next round”, said Sinner.
Sinner will face Nick Kyrgios for the first time in his career in the Round of 16. Kyrgios upset Casper Ruud 6-4 6-4 to score his first top 10 win in more than two years. Kyrgios has drawn level to 1-1 in his two head-to-head matches against Ruud.
Kyrgios converted both of his break points in the first game of the opening set and in the third game of the second set. The Aussie player did not face any chances on his serve. He went down 15-30 as he served out for the match, but he closed out the second set with an ace, a backhand volley winner and a 19-ball rally that ended with a forced error from Ruud.
Kyrgios hit seven aces and won 82% of his first serve points.
“It was a big one. Ruud is a great player. The last two years he has been playing some pretty great tennis. Tonight I played the great style. I am just super happy at the moment, with my team around me. It’s endless support and I just managed to really play well on the big points today. My next opponent Sinner is a hell of player. He has been playing exceptionally for the last year and a half, hits the ball massive. I actually played him in doubles, and I was blown off the court with how big and how effortlessy he can play. I know the style of tennis I need to play as well, but I am not going to think about to think about that right now. I am going to go home, enjoy my time, and get some good practice in tomorrow, and we’ll see how it goes”, said Kyrgios.
Kyrgios won the Australian Open doubles title alongside his compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis, who was watching from the stands.
