Federico Cinà, rude awakening: elimination at Roland Garros.

Nothing to do for Federico Cinà in the second round of Roland Garros. On the red clay of Paris, on a torrid 34/35 °C day, the young Sicilian was defeated by Dutchman Jesper de Jong, number 106 in the world rankings, with a score of 6-3 6-1 6-3 in one hour and 50 minutes. It was an opaque performance for the number 238 ATP, unable to counter the greater solidity and experience of his opponent, who was good at gradually taking control of the match after an uncertain start.

The beginning of the match had hinted at encouraging signs for the Italian. De Jong was committing several errors and Cinà, thanks mainly to an effective long backhand, was able to command the exchanges. As the games went on, however, the Dutchman identified the Sicilian’s difficulties on the forehand side and began to exploit them with continuity. Even his serve did not guarantee enough easy points to “Pallino,” thus allowing the Dutchman to quickly change the set’s inertia and close on 6-3.

In the second partial, De Jong’s superiority became even more evident. Cina appeared less than incisive from the baseline, especially on the right side, while his opponent managed the exchanges with order and depth, often forcing him into complicated recoveries. The blue player progressively lost confidence and the 6-1 final was the logical consequence of what was seen on the court.

The third set followed the same script. De Jong maintained a very solid level, immediately finding the break in the second game and controlling the pace of the exchanges. The 2007 class tried to fight back, building two counterbreak points in the next game, but failing to exploit them. That was, in fact, the last concrete attempt to reopen the match before the final 6-3.