Lorenzo Sonego, knockout and regrets: he’s straight out in Eastbourne

No Italians remain on the scoreboard in Eastbourne

After Marco Cecchinato’s elimination by Mackenzie McDonald, Italian tennis records in the first round of the ATP tournament in Eastbourne the knockout of the other representative of the tricolor in the draw, Lorenzo Sonego, beaten 7-6(4), 6-3 in two hours of play by China’s Zhizhen Zhang.

Sonego returns home with more than a few regrets, especially for a first set that saw him waste three balls for a possible 7-5, before surrendering in the game and in the subsequent tie-break. Then coming in at 3-3 in the second set, Sonego then fell apart, leaving the court open to his opponent who was then able to close out the match in agility.

For Sonego, who enjoyed the number 7 seed in the tournament, it was the first elimination in the first round since last April 27, when he lost in his debut match at the Madrid Masters 1000 to German Struff.