- Sinner wins first match in straight sets
- Djokovic due to face Rune
- Dodig and Austin Krajicek open with win in doubles
In the opening day of the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, local favourite Jannik Sinner delivered a commanding performance to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets. The fourth-seeded Sinner secured a 6-4 6-4 victory, concluding the match with his ninth ace. Tsitsipas, the 2019 champion, struggled to match Sinner’s play and failed to force a single break point.
Check out the best ATP Finals betting sites with Betting.com
Sinner starts Tour Finals well after pleasing year
Reflecting on his win, the 22-year-old Sinner expressed excitement about starting the Finals and described it as a special moment. Despite anticipating a tough match, he felt he handled the situation well by staying aggressive. Sinner, who qualified for the ATP Finals on merit for the first time, having replaced the injured Matteo Berrettini in 2021, has had an impressive year, reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon and winning his maiden Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open in August.
Although trailing 5-2 in their head-to-head, Sinner looked relaxed on the court and secured the victory in one hour and 25 minutes. The ATP Finals feature the top eight men’s players of the year, divided into two groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals.
Sinner and Tsitsipas are part of the Green Group, alongside world number one Novak Djokovic and Denmark’s Holger Rune. Djokovic, if successful in his match, would secure the end-of-year top spot in the world rankings. Additionally, a tournament victory would make him the outright leader for ATP Finals titles, having equaled Roger Federer’s record of six last year.
In the doubles tournament, the number one seeds, Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek, claimed a straight-sets victory over the seventh seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni. Meanwhile, the fifth seeds, Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, emerged victorious against the fourth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in a three-set match.
Betting Implications
Sinner’s victory saw him go to second favourite behind Djokovic in the early betting. At the time of writing Unibet have the Italian priced at 15/4, behind Djokovic, 5/4. Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev, both yet to play, are priced at 17/4 and 13/2 respectively. Tsitsipas is currently 33/1.
Check out the best ATP Finals betting sites and the best tennis betting sites for the UK with Betting.com.
For more on the ATP Finals, check out our preview.
