Smooth debut for Jannik Sinner in Monte Carlo: Humbert collapses
Flawless debut for Jannik Sinner in Monte Carlo, the season’s first Masters 1000 on clay. The world No. 2 liquidated French left-hander Ugo Humbert (No. 34 ATP) in just 64 minutes with a clean 6-3 6-0, in a match that was never really in dispute. The azure did not concede a single break ball and prevented his opponent from taking over the game, often forcing him to forced and almost desperate solutions to win even a fifteen.
Humbert took the court with a conspicuous bandage on his right leg and tried to set up an aggressive strategy: incisive serve and quick exchanges, closed in a few strokes. It is the only way to try to limit Sinner’s power and speed, but the low percentage of firsts (43%) and the Italian’s excellent response immediately direct the match. Two breaks, in the fifth and ninth games, were enough to close out the first set; in the second, however, there was practically no match.
Sinner serves with 62% firsts, a sign that on clay he still has to find his best rhythm, but he concedes just two points on serve. When he enters the exchange, his forehand from the baseline becomes impregnable. A few spectacular exchanges were there, but too little to really trouble the Italian.
With this win, Sinner reaches 20 wins for the season (first to do so in 2026) and stretches several impressive streaks: 22 consecutive wins against left-handed players (unbeaten since Shanghai 2023 against Shelton), 18 straight wins in Masters 1000 and an impressive 36 consecutive sets won in this category, further distancing Novak Djokovic, who is stuck at 24.
At the round of 16, reached for the fourth time in the last five years (absence in 2025 due to disqualification linked to the Clostebol case), he will face the winner between Francisco Cerundolo and Tomas Machac. Moreover, the Italian continues to show extraordinary continuity: he has made it past the first round for the 35th consecutive time and boasts a record of 26 wins against French players since 2021.
