Jannik Sinner, the day (or rather, the evening) of the'debut in Rome has arrived

Appointment at 7 p.m. on the Foro Italico’s Centrale for Jannik Sinner’s debut at the Internazionali d’Italia (live on Sky Sport and streaming on SkyGo and NOW). The world No. 1 will face Austrian Sebastian Ofner, current No. 82 in the ATP rankings, already beaten in the only previous match between the two. A memory that brings back to 2019, when a very young Sinner, fresh from his triumph at the Next Gen Finals, won the Ortisei Challenger by overcoming Ofner himself in the final and raising the trophy just a few kilometers from home.

On Saturday’s May 9 program, on the Central no earlier than 1 p.m., Jasmine Paolini will take on Belgium’s Elise Mertens with a place in the round of 16 at stake. At the Bnp Paribas Arena, space will instead be given to Flavio Cobolli against Frenchman Terence Atmane, also known for his passion for Pokémon. In the evening, at 7 p.m. on the same court, Andrea Pellegrino will face Arthur Fils. Mattia Bellucci will be busy around 12:30 p.m. on the Supertennis Arena against Tomas Etcheverry.

That against Ofner will be the first ever challenge between the two in the ATP circuit: the previous one in Ortisei was in fact played at Challenger level, and it was precisely the last tournament in that category for Sinner, who after that success decided to make the final leap to the major circuit. In a sense, then, the Austrian was unwittingly the springboard for the world No. 1’s career. Ofner, on the eve of the challenge, made no secret of his ambition: “I have to think I can beat him, otherwise I couldn’t even take the court. One of the keys might be my serve. I have to stay in the match and try to take advantage of the chances I’ll have.”

For Sinner, the Roman tournament also represents an extraordinary opportunity to update the record book: the South Tyrolean is coming off 28 consecutive Masters 1000 victories and, with four wins at the Foro Italico, would surpass Novak Djokovic’s all-time record, which stands at 31. Djokovic himself, who was present in Rome, said he is convinced that Sinner will be able to match his record of winning all nine Masters 1000s in his career: “He will make it for sure, probably even this year. He is very strong, really impressive.”