French Open: Jannik Sinner coms from behind to beat Corentin Moutet and move into quarter-finals
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Updated 02/06/2024 at 21:49 GMT
Jannik Sinner survived a scare to beat Corentin Moutet in four sets and set up a meeting with Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals of the French Open. The Italian No. 2 seed lost the first set as Moutet threatened a huge upset, but Sinner responded emphatically to win 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-1 and keep his hopes of a first title at Roland-Garros alive.
Sinner seals crucial break in second set after falling behind against Moutet
Jannik Sinner recovered from dropping the opening set to beat home favourite Corentin Moutet and book his spot in the quarter-finals of the French Open.
The Australian Open champion lost the first five games of the match and saved two set points to avoid being bagelled for the first time since 2021 before finally kicking into life on Court Philippe-Chatrier and completing a 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-1 win.
Moutet, who was the last Frenchman in the draw, threatened to pull off the upset after an inspired start but couldn’t maintain his level as he exited to rousing applause.
Sinner will need to avoid a similar lapse if he is to lift a first French Open title with a match against Grigor Dimitrov to come in the last-eight and a potential semi-final showdown with Carlos Alcaraz on the horizon.
"It was very tough for me, I think he played very well in the first set," Sinner said. "I had some chances but he played much better than me and I had to adjust.
"He had an amazing run here. He plays different than most opponents, he's also a lefty, so I'm happy to be in the next round."
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‘What a start’ – Moutet breaks Sinner in opening game to take shock early lead
He had been untroubled in the first three rounds, but Sinner quickly found himself up against it as the unseeded Moutet, roared on by the home fans in attendance, came flying out the gates.
Clearly eager to make an early impression and involve the crowd, he broke Sinner in the opening game and continued to go from strength to strength, mixing drop shots with underarm serves to stun the world No. 2.
Moutet broke for 3-0 and then again to make it 5-0 but couldn’t convert either of his two chances on serve for the bagel, although he did eventually take the first set 6-2 when Sinner fired long.
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Sinner caught ‘totally flat-footed’ after Moutet whips out underarm serve
The Italian then dumped a drop shot into the net to lose his serve once again at the start of the second but this time he broke back immediately.
That seemed to spark him into life as he reeled off five of the next seven games to level the match at a set apiece and he raced through the third in 37 minutes to move ahead.
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Sinner seals crucial break in second set after falling behind against Moutet
Another break to begin the fourth was the beginning of the end for Moutet, who continued to produce flashes of brilliance in a valiant defeat.
But Sinner proved far too good in the end, winning four games in a row to seal victory in two hours and 44 minutes.
You can watch every day of the 2024 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+
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