Jannik Sinner beat Marcos Giron 7-6 6-2 at the Shanghai Rolex Masters becoming the fourth player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. Sinner joins Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Danil Medvedev, who had already qualified for the end-of the second tournament. Sinner won his 50th match this season. Only Adriano Panatta and Corrado Barazzutti among past Italian players achieved this target in history.
Giron earned an early break point in the second game as Sinner hit a crosscourt backhand into the net. The US player converted his chance to open up a 2-0 lead. Sinner earned a break point at deuce but he did not convert it with a backhand error. Giron held serve with a backhand down the line winner. Sinner held his first service game at love in the fourth game. Giron saved two break points in the fifth game at deuce. Sinner held serve in the sixth game at deuce with a drop shot and a serve and volley before converting his fifth break-back point. Sinner held serve in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4. Giron held his serve at 15 to take a 5-4 lead stopping a losing streak of three consecutive games. Sinner held serve in the 10thgame to draw level to 5-5. Giron won his service game at 15 for 6-5. Sinner held serve at 15 with a service winner to set up a tie-break.
Sinner saved four set points in the tie-break of the first set and won three of his next four points to win the first set.
Sinner won four consecutive points from 0-15 to hold serve in the first game of the second set. The Italian player broke serve at love in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. Sinner went down 15-40 in the third game after his first double fault and Giron converted his second break point with a forehand. Sinner broke again at love in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead.
Sinner made a double fault in the fifth game, but he won four consecutive points to hold serve with a smash for 4-1. Giron won his service game at deuce. Giron served to stay in the match, but he was broken by Sinner in the final game.
Sinner won his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto, his second ATP 500 in Beijing and the ATP 250 in Montpellier. He beat Alcaraz in the semifinal and Medvedev in the final at the China Open in Beijing.
The Italian player also beat Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinal to reach the final in Miami for the second time in his career. He advanced to the final in Rotterdam and the semifinals at Wimbledon, Indian Wells and Monte-Carlo.
“The first match of a tournament is never easy. I knew that I had to raise the level of my game. I did a good work and I was a bit lucky in the first set of the first set. I played my best tennis at the end of the match. The main goal of the season was to qualify for the ATP Finals. This achievement means a lot to me”.
