Jannik Sinner sings with Vienna Waltz at Erste Bank Open to keep year-end number 1 hopes alive | Tennis news
Jannik Sinner was on song with a Viennese waltz against embattled opponent Daniel Altmaier at the Erste Bank Open to keep his year-end No. 1 hopes alive.
Sinner wasted no time in beating Germany’s Altmaier 6-0 6-2 to record his fastest victory of 2025.
The top seed and 2023 Vienna champion dominated Altmaier and reached the finish in just 58 minutes.
Sinner, who was forced to retire in the third round of his title defense in Shanghai earlier this month, also extended his indoor hard court winning streak to 17 matches.
“I feel like everything went really well in the first set,” Sinner said.
“On indoor courts you have to be very careful. If your opponent starts to serve well, it is very difficult to break. But I am very happy with today’s performance, because I am starting the tournament in a very positive way, not only in terms of play but also in terms of feeling.”
The sinner will then meet his compatriot Flavio Cobolliwho beat Czech Tomas Machac 7-6 (8-6) 6-2, while last week’s Almaty champion Daniel Medvedev defeated Nuno Borges 6-4 6-7 (9-7) 6-2 to keep alive his season-ending bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
Italy Matteo Berrettini defeated Australian Alexei Popyrin in straight sets 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 in one hour and 36 minutes to set up a second-round match against the British No. 2. Cameron Norrie THURSDAY.
Tale of the gang
The race for number 1 at the end of the year
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz battle for year-end world number one
The Italian is taking part in the ATP 500 event and can therefore add 500 points to his ranking this week. If he triumphs, he would gain 500 points over his rival Carlos Alcaraz, who is not in action.
He is currently 2,540 points behind Alcaraz, but if Sinner wins the Vienna trophy for a second time, he will be 2,040 points behind the Spaniard entering Paris, where he could close the gap further.
The two stars are expected to compete in the Rolex Paris Masters (max 1,000 points) and the Nitto ATP Finals (max 1,500 points). Sinner will have to earn every point possible for the rest of the season and hope that Alcaraz – who is 67-7 in 2025 – doesn’t maintain his performance.
Mboko qualified for the round of 16 in Tokyo
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Highlights from the National Bank Open final between Victoria Mboko and Naomi Osaka
Victoria Mboko booked her place in the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open with a dominant victory over Eva Lys.
The 19-year-old new Canadian tennis hope outclassed the German qualifier 6-1 6-1 in a brisk 55 minutes in Tokyo.
Mboko won 87 percent of her points on the first serve and hit five aces against Lys, who simply had no answer against the world No. 23.
“I just wanted to be myself and try to play very aggressively,” Mboko said after the match.
“I didn’t really have a game plan. I just wanted to play free and be very positive with myself on the court. So, I think I checked all the notes today, and everything went well at the end of the day.”
Mboko – who finished 2024 ranked 350th – stunned the tennis world by win the National Bank Open title in Montreal this summer.
She will face either her compatriot and in-form Leylah Fernandez, who just won last week in Osaka, or former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
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