Top seed Jannik Sinner beat local hope Yannick Hanfmann 7-5 6-3 to move into the last 16 at the Halle Open on Tuesday 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.
“I’m very happy. He is a great server and a great baseliner, so breaking him is very difficult on this surface,” Sinner said.
“I’m very happy how I handled the tough situations mentally. The first set could have gone into a tiebreak and then anything can happen.
“First matches are never easy on grass, and also second and third matches. So let’s see what’s coming in the next round. I think tomorrow I have the day off, which is good, because the body feels different on this surface.”
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.
“He’s a great player, a great talent. A huge talent, actually, and grass is his favourite surface. He beat me here in Halle, he won (the trophy) here in Halle, so it’s for sure a place he loves to play,” Sinner added.
“I’m trying to stay calm mentally and trying to see what I can reach. He’s a great talent, a great server and he can do whatever he wants. It’s hopefully going to be a good match.”
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.
