Jannik Sinner escapes inspired Corentin Moutet in Roland Garros evening thriller
After dropping the first set to the home favorite, the reigning Australian Open champion decided that’s enough entertainment for one evening as rallied emphatically to book his place in the quarterfinals.
By the time that world No. 2 Jannik Sinner found himself down 5-0 in the first set against Corentin Moutet, a point away from dropping the opening set in shocking fashion, the crowd on a lively Court Philippe Chatrier sounded equally thrilled and relieved.
Late in the evening in Paris, home hope Moutet had just charged to a shocking 4-0 lead in barely over 15 minutes against the out-of-sorts Italian. Sinner came into the tournament struggling with a hip injury, but hadn’t been tested like this as he cruised in his previous matches with Christopher Eubanks, Richard Gasquet and Pavel Kotov. Was an upset, or even just a slight deviation toward drama, in the making?
The last match scheduled on a busy Chatrier, every previous singles match had been a one-sided affair for the higher-ranked player, from world No. 1 Iga Swiatek’s double-bageling of Anastasia Potapova kicking off fourth-round Sunday, to No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz similarly demolishing Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 to conclude the day session.
WATCH: Jannik Sinner rallies against inspired Moutet | Roland Garros 4R
Beyond supporting their No. 79-ranked countryman Moutet, fans at Roland Garros seemed to simply want to see more great tennis. It’s a total contrast to yesterday’s drawn-out action—which saw world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti finish their five-set, third-round clash after 3 a.m.—to the likely relief of tournament organizers already beleaguered by a rain-affected schedule.
But after dropping the first set 6-2, the reigning Australian Open champion decided that’s enough entertainment for one evening. Tightening up his first-serve percentage—from 59% in the opening set to an imperious 78% in the fourth— Sinner kept his opponent out of the points, and the Chatrier faithful mostly silent.
The Italian surged through the next three sets, brushing aside the lone break point he faced along the way, to complete his 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 comeback and move into the quarterfinals. He will face No. 10 seed Grigor Dimitrov next, after the Bulgarian defeated No. 8 seed Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Read More: Grigor Dimitrov completes career set of Grand Slam quarterfinals at Roland Garros
“It was very tough for me. I think he played very, very well in the first set,” said Sinner afterward. “I had some chances, but he played much better than me, so I had to adjust a little bit. He had an amazing run here at Roland Garros. The atmosphere as always was amazing.
“He plays differently to most of my opponents, so it was tough for me. He is also lefty. You don’t play so many times against left-handers.”