Jannik Sinner on the pitch in Belgium
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Sumptuous Jannik Sinner, on the verge of perfection, a splendid tennis machine. The blue in the semifinal of the 250 in Antwerp confirms the excellent performance of yesterday, playing even better if possible against Lloyd Harris, unarmed throughout the match, at times annihilated. Sinner wins 6-2 6-2, a score that is faithful photo of a match dominated in every phase of the game. A clear, well-deserved success that leads him to the final to challenge the winner of Brooksby vs. Schwartzman. Excellent with the Sinner serve, devastating forehand – confirmation of the quality shown yesterday -, precise and lethal with the backhand, but his real weapon today was the answer, thanks to which he literally disarmed his rival’s serve, leading him to fight in the exchange of rhythm , where the blue proved to be of another category. This Sinner in indoor conditions is almost unbeatable, perhaps behind only Djokovic and Medvedev.
Soon the full comment, here is the chronicle of the semifinal.
The semi-final in Antwerp kicks off at 15:09, with Harris at bat. The South African giant runs forward, Jannik’s right-by-passer precise. Excellent entry into the match for the blue, swap deep and with precision. A rhythm that carries Lloyd’s mistakes. It is immediately 15-40, and two break points. It makes no difference with the first Harris, the answer is central, in the feet, “Djokoviciana”, on time, and the South African ships wide. BREAK Sinner, immediately ahead 1-0 and service. In response Harris finds his best pattern, a powerful forehand on the backhand and another long forehand, winning. 15-30. With an excellent first Jannik takes 30 even and then imposes a great pace, closing ahead. Sinner plays earlier than his rival, has the exchange in hand, and with an Ace closes the second game, 2-0. Harris in trouble also in the third game. A double fault and a backhand mistake – too much hurry Lloyd… – lead Sinner to 15-40, two balls for the double reach. Harris cancels the first chance with a good service to the body, he cannot think of making the match even without getting the most out of the service; but on the second, it exchanges, and the rhythm of the blue is infernal. Lloyd is wrong and we are 3-0, Double Break for the blue. What a start for Jan! The tennis of Piatti’s pupil runs very fast, he pushes with great confidence with the forehand, as he did yesterday, impressing everyone. On 30 equal, a potentially dangerous moment, the blue places a precise first central and then advances and throws a right cross on a high ball without weight with total nonchalance, finding a formidable tight corner. It does not close in flight in the following point (but the tactical choice was correct), it goes to the advantages. The game is laborious, the longest and most hard-fought of the match so far, it closes with an insidious first serve, Harris’s response flies away. 4-0 Sinner. Lloyd gave “signs of life” in response, so much so that in the fifth game he managed to get to the game ball for the first time. But with his serve he fails to make a difference, few firsts on the pitch, too few, and Jannik’s response is sharp. It goes to the advantages. Risks, risks too much with the right inside out the South African, the 0-5 ball arrives! If Harris plays it well, he takes a big risk with an early backhand and this time the ball is in the field. With two good accelerations, Harris finally moves the score into the match, 1-4. Even today Sinner’s right cross from the center works great, he finds speed and angle very easily, it is very difficult for his rival to replay an incisive shot. Moreover, today the blue is serving in a very intelligent way, alternating fast firsts to many slices, thus not giving pace in response to Harris, so far practically harmless with this shot. What a hand Jannik under the net, in extension touches a low ball with great confidence, GREAT BALANCE and hand, a play that gives him the point of 5-1. A show so far. A show that continues even in the seventh game, it goes to the advantages with a deadly pressing of Sinner. Eventually, with great effort, Lloyd clings to the joke and wins the second game of the set. Sinner goes to serve to close the partial ahead 5-2. Start well, great pace with the forehand, Harris does not contain. He is chased back by a nice lob Jan, but he starts to maneuver again, accelerates with the backhand cross and snatches another good point. 30-0. With a solid first outside we are 40-15, Two Set Points! He ventures forward with a short attack on the first Sinner, but this time he is short and must collect a precise passerby. OK the second, with the right inside out on the counterattack overcomes the resistance of the rival. At times irrepressible Sinner! The 6-2 only partially explains the clear domination of the blue in the set, there was absolutely no match for quality, speed, intensity. 73% of points won with the second indicates how Harris has almost always suffered in the exchange, suffering a lot even when he served, so much so that he recorded a very modest 30% of points won by serving the 2nd. Blue so far splendid performance.
Second set, Harris starts serving, but the music doesn’t change. Lloyd fails to score points with the first, Sinner always responds, especially deep precise. Like yesterday vs. the Frenchman, Jannik cancels the rival’s 1st and throws him behind the line, and having stolen the field imposes a hellish rhythm with deep balls. So Harris is unarmed. 0-30 and then 15-40, AMAZING Jannik’s forcing, ball after ball, always longer, more and more intense. Two break points for the blue, for the immediate draw. Lloyd cancels the first with a nice serve, but on the second he swaps… and it is the blue who leads. Reverses the inertia of the exchange thanks to a remote-controlled backhand cross near the line. Harris sends long, he can’t keep up with this pace. BREAK Sinner, immediately ahead 1-0 and service. Jannik is in control, he plays smoothly, confidently, he pushes a lot but without taking big risks. 2-0, all too quick for Harris. In the third game the South African finally flies 40-0, it seems a comfortable game for him… but Sinner doesn’t give up. He responds, finds a long winning backhand that knocks out his rival. It goes to the advantages. Command the blue, eat the field but this time the acceleration with the right comes out a little. Find the second Ace of the match Lloyd, usually after a set and pass is in double digits … but he does not close in flight, the game remains in the fight. He tries to shake the South African, the match is slipping away from him, but above all it is Sinner’s ball that “slips on the lines” … Jan does not give anything away, he forces the opponent to play all the points, even if he is under 40-0 as in this interminable third game. Harris complains about the wrong 1st … finally one of the rare mistakes of the blue in exchange leads to the South African giant the ball game, 1-2. In the service games of the blue Harris fails to affect. Try to jump ahead of the answer, but it’s too much of a risk. Moreover, if he is forced to exchange, after 3-4 runs he is equally wrong. Harris looks like a rat in a trap, in a labyrinth with no way out. Sinner plays safe, fast, to zero he goes 3-1. In the fifth game Llyod collapses: he starts with a double fault, then two mistakes with the forehand, trying to push too much. At zero he gives up the service game for the second time in the set, it is 4-1 “heavy” for Sinner, one step away from the final in Antwerp. With a great advantage, Sinner has the very first moment “no”, he concedes a break point at 30-40 in the sixth game. Find a great first Jan, and he is saved. There is no match on the backhand diagonal, in every delicate occasion, rightly, Sinner tries on the solution, as in these advantages. He has to face a second break point Jan, if he plays it as a Champion, washing his rival ball after ball and putting in a long line of perfect backhand. Harris is giving everything on the field, he puts back every ball going beyond the fatigue. This time Sinner exaggerates, looking for a short ball that is too difficult. Grants the third break point of the game. He exchanges, Lloyd misses a little on the backhand. By canceling three break points in a 16-point game (the longest of the match), Sinner flies 5-1. It serves to close at 5-2, and does not tremble. Push and get Three Match Points! Just the first, forward with the reverse and the lob dies long. Game Set Match Sinner, chapeau! Capital performance, Jannik flies into the fifth final of 2021, giving an impressive show of strength. Very good Sinner!
Marco Mazzoni
[1] Jannik Sinner 
vs [7] Lloyd Harris 
ATP ATP Antwerp
Sinner J.-
6
6
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Harris L.-
2
2
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Winner: Sinner J.
