World number one Jannik Sinner showed great resilience as he came from a set down to claim a hard-fought victory against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the third round of the Shanghai Masters. The Italian top seed triumphed 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-2 after an intense 2-hour and 38-minute battle.
Sinner was pushed all the way, with a key moment coming in the third set when he held serve in a crucial 11-minute sixth game to go up 4-2. He then won the next two games to seal the match.
“It got stressful because if I lose the game at 3-2 and he breaks, we’re back even,” Sinner said. “Sometimes you have to wait for your chances, and today the key was staying calm mentally.”
Sinner, who has won six titles this year, including two Grand Slams, is competing under the cloud of an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency. WADA is challenging a ruling that cleared him of blame after he twice tested positive for a banned substance.
In the first set, Sinner failed to capitalize on two break points at 6-5, allowing Etcheverry, who impressed with his powerful serve and strong game, to win the tie-break. Sinner bounced back in the second set, breaking Etcheverry’s serve to level the match and maintained his momentum in the decider to secure his place in the last 16.
Sinner will now face either Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena or American Ben Shelton in the next round.
In other action, Daniil Medvedev also progressed, winning a tough battle against Matteo Arnaldi, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Medvedev secured a decisive break in the ninth game of the final set and served out the match. He will next face either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Alexandre Muller.
Due to rain, play was canceled on the outside courts for the second consecutive day, with matches being played only under the roof of the main stadium court.
