Sinner stays perfect at Roland Garros with Kotov win

Jannik Sinner rolls on at Roland Garros.

The second seed maintained his perfect start at the clay-court major by defeating Pavel Kotov 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 for his third consecutive straight-sets win in Paris. Sinner produced a rock-solid all-around display to prevail in a two-hour, 27-minute encounter between two of the cleanest ballstrikers on the ATP Tour.

A single break of serve in each set proved enough for Sinner to clinch his victory and extend his Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead against Kotov to 2-0 after he also defeated the World No. 56 in Madrid last month. Now 31-2 for the season, Sinner will take on Sebastian Ofner or home favourite Corentin Moutet next in Paris.

Welcome aboard to Sinner's cruise! 🛳@janniksin takes out Kotov 6-4 6-4 6-4!@rolandgarros | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/VfWEiIegXi

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 31, 2024

Coming into the tournament under an injury cloud after skipping the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome with a hip injury, Sinner said that his general match conditioning was now his only physical concern.

“The hip at the moment feels good, which I'm very, very proud,” Sinner said. “Me and my team, we made a very good job to be in the position to play here.

“The general physical shape is not where I want to be. We try to prepare my body in the best possible way. The weather today was also different. It was very cold, so it's also different to play. The balls and the court are very heavy.”

Neither Sinner nor Kotov held back with their groundstrokes in an entertaining clash on Court Philippe-Chatrier, but Sinner’s serving ability proved decisive. The Italian saved the only break point he faced when leading 3-2 in the second set, and he finished the match having won 79 per cent (41/52) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys Stats.

Sinner is competing for a double prize this fortnight in Roland Garros. As well as chasing his second major title after lifting the trophy at January’s Australian Open, the 22-year-old can guarantee his rise to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time by reaching the final in Paris. Even if he falls short of that goal, Sinner will still move into top spot on 10 June if Novak Djokovic does not reach the championship match.

A quarter-finalist at Roland Garros in 2020, Sinner is seeded to meet his great rival Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals. Yet he is unlikely to be looking past his fourth-round meeting with Ofner or Moutet as he chases his fourth tour-level trophy of the year in the French capital.

"Tennis-wise I felt quite good today on court. Physically I feel like I still have to improve a couple of things," said Sinner, who did not compete for three weeks prior to Roland Garros due to a hip injury, in his post-match press conference. "It's very important to rest, especially tomorrow. I'm trying to be ready for the next round.

"It's a very physical Grand Slam, so every single situation on the court I try to judge it in a positive way at the moment. I know that there are tough moments on the court, but you have to accept it and see the general side."

Despite defeat to Sinner, Kotov’s maiden appearance in the third round at a major has boosted the 25-year-old’s bid to become a Top 50 player for the first time. He is up five spots to No. 51 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run at Roland Garros, where he defeated 32nd seed Cameron Norrie and former champion Stan Wawrinka in the opening two rounds.