Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner made a strong comeback Monday, securing a commanding 6-1, 6-4 victory over Czech player Tomas Machac during opening round action at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. This marked Sinner’s return to competition following a heartbreaking semifinal defeat at the Australian Open in late January.
The second-seeded Sinner, who had claimed back-to-back Australian Open titles before falling to Novak Djokovic in a five-set thriller (3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4) in Melbourne, showed no signs of that disappointment on Monday. The Italian played flawless tennis, avoiding any break point situations while limiting his unforced errors to just nine throughout the match.
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, seeded fourth and the 2023 tournament winner in Doha, also cruised through his opening match with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph over China’s Juncheng Shang.
Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik, the sixth seed, managed to overcome British qualifier Jan Choinski in three sets, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-4. Other players advancing included Australia’s Alexei Popyrin and French competitors Arthur Fils and Valentin Royer.
At the Delray Beach Open in Florida, American Alex Michelsen dominated on serve, capturing 86% of his service points in a 7-6 (4), 6-4 upset victory over Monaco’s sixth-seeded Valentin Vacherot. Michelsen’s serving was particularly sharp, winning an impressive 92.3% of points when landing his first serve (36 of 39 attempts).
American Frances Tiafoe, the eighth seed and 2018 Delray Beach champion, advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata. Fellow American Marcos Giron also moved forward, defeating Japanese qualifier Sho Shimabukuro 6-3, 7-5. France’s Terence Atmane and Hong Kong’s Chak Lam Coleman Wong also claimed first-round victories.
The Rio Open saw a disappointing day for Brazilian tennis, as all three home country players competing Monday suffered first-round exits.
Peru’s Ignacio Buse mounted a comeback to eliminate Brazilian qualifier Igor Marcondes 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. Czech player Vit Kopriva defeated Brazil’s Gustavo Heide 6-2, 7-6 (5), while Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann ousted Joao Lucas Reis Da Silva 7-6 (3), 6-4.
In Monday’s biggest upset, Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic, who entered as a lucky loser from qualifying, knocked out Germany’s seventh-seeded Daniel Altmaier 6-4, 7-6 (7). Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo and Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante both advanced with straight-set victories.
