Monte Carlo [Monaco], April 12 : Jannik Sinner's persistence paid off as he kept his cool to reach the semi-final at the Monte Carlo Masters, beating Holger Rune on Friday.
The second-seeded Italian reached his second consecutive semi-final at the ATP Masters 1000 event with a 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 victory against Rune.
"It took a lot [to win this match]. Playing against him is never easy, especially on this kind of occasion, so I'm very happy I won today but mostly about the level I gave. I raised it today a little bit. It was more physical, there were more rallies today. My general feelings were better, so I'm very excited about tomorrow's match," said Sinner in his post-match interview as quoted by ATP.
Rune came to the court on Friday with amazing enthusiasm, and he seemed pumped up in the first few games against Sinner.
That was insufficient to subdue the fiery Italian. Rune squandered a break point in the fourth game of the match, which proved costly as Sinner secured the sole break of the first set in the following game. According to ATP Stats, Sinner dialled in behind his delivery, dropping only six games on serve on route to the first set.
Rune fought hard on Court Rainier III, recovering from 0/40 to hold for 3-2 and then 6-5 in the second set. Despite missing those opportunities, Sinner appeared to be on track for a straight-sets victory as he built out a 6/4 lead in the tie-break, but Rune struck a remarkable winner to spark a four-point rampage that saw him snag the second set.
"I just focus on my side... It's all part of the learning process. Even if I lose today, I learn again, so I'm very happy about today. It has been a very tough match. I'm very happy about the win," said Sinner.
A see-saw contest threatened to tilt Rune's way in the final. The Dane had a breakpoint, his second of the match, at 2-2, 30/40, but Sinner shut it down before winning 12 of the final 15 points to defeat Rune and move to 25-1 on the year.
Sinner will take on Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals, who earlier overpowered Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-2.
"Tomorrow is going to be a tough one for sure. Against Stefanos, who is playing well. Let's see what I can do tomorrow," said Sinner of the semi-final matchup.
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