Jannik Sinner punishes Cameron Norrie and catches a glimpse of rising star Rafael Jodar
Jannik Sinner files Cameron Norrie with the bare minimum, but with the usual authority of the number one. On the Manolo Santana of the Caja Mágica, the Italian overcame the Briton 6-2 7-5 in one hour and 26 minutes and detached the pass for the quarterfinals of the Madrid Masters 1000, at the end of a match managed with lucidity, without spectacular peaks but with a solidity that left little room for his opponent.
In the first set, however, Sinner immediately imposed his law. The Italian took over the middle of the court from the first games, commanded with his backhand and asserted a clear superiority in drive and continuity. Norrie tried to break the rhythm with shorter trajectories, variations and some sudden descents, but the Briton’s plan was short-lived: Sinner ripped his serve with regularity and closed the partial 6-2 without conceding any real window of return.
The second fraction was more balanced, mainly because Norrie managed to raise his percentage of firsts and make the development of the exchanges more fragmented. The Briton tried to dirty up the match, slowing down the tempo, alternating cuts and less readable balls, and for long stretches he at least managed to stay hooked in the score. Sinner, however, never gave the feeling of losing emotional control of the match: even in the most laborious moments he continued to manage neatly, waiting for the right pass to strike.
That pass came in the final. At 5-5, with the set still open, Sinner raised the level again, finding more weight in his response and more precision in his groundstrokes. It was the decisive moment of the match: the Italian broke the balance, took the break and then closed without trembling, certifying a more solid victory than the 7-5 would suggest.
With this success, Sinner advances to the quarterfinals and continues his run in the Madrid tournament, where he now awaits the winner of the challenge between young Spaniard Rafael Jodar and Czech Vit Kopriva. Another step forward, noiselessly, but with the quiet strength of the greats.
