Reuters
Carlos Alcaraz. [Source: Reuters]
Top seed Jannik Sinner beat local hope Yannick Hanfmann 7-5 6-3 to move into the last 16 at the Halle Open as the world number one looks to defend the only grasscourt title he has won in his career.
In his first match since the epic Roland Garros final where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in a contest that lasted 5-1/2 hours, Sinner returned to winning ways as he got the better of Hanfmann, who is ranked 138 in the world.
Sinner will next face Alexander Bublik, who won the tournament in 2023 and also faced the Italian in the French Open quarter-finals, and the top seed said he can only expect “the unexpected” against the unpredictable Kazakh entertainer.
Earlier, Russian fourth seed Andrey Rublev beat Sebastian Ofner 6-3 6-4 to advance, but other top seeds Ugo Humbert and Francisco Cerundolo fell.
Denis Shapovalov knocked out sixth seed Humbert 6-4 4-6 7-6(4) while American Alex Michelsen beat fifth seed Cerundolo 2-6 7-5 6-4.
Shapovalov’s Canadian compatriot Felix Auger-Aliassime also advanced but not before he was taken the distance by Laslo Djere in a 6-3 6-7(6) 6-1 victory.
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