Andy Murray’s unfortunate trend of clashing against tough opponents in the earlier rounds of the competition continues in Stockholm this week. In the final ATP tournament of 2021 before the season-ending finals, the former World No.1 Andy Murray will lock horns against the latest Top 10 entrant Jannik Sinner in their Round of 16 encounter on Wednesday in the Swedish capital.
ATP Stockholm Open
In his Stockholm Open debut, the three-time Grand Slam champion cruised through his opening set 6-1 against qualifier Viktor Durasovic in just 30 minutes. But, failing to hold on to his break of serve, the Brit was made to work hard in the second. The 24-year-old Norwegian, who appeared to be carried away by the awe of facing the former World No.1 in the first set, raised his level to win three consecutive games in the second set, leveling the set back on serve.
Durasovic was sharp in the latter half of the second set, stretching Murray into a tiebreak. Murray, who squandered seven match points in his intense opening-round clash against Dominik Koepfer at the Paris Masters last week, managed to get over the line at the third time of asking in the tiebreak against the young Norwegian at Stockholm. Murray eventually beat Durasovic 6-1 7-6(7) in one hour and 37 minutes on Tuesday.
Jannik Sinner, the No.1 seed at Stockholm, suffered an exit in his tournament opener at the Paris Masters last Wednesday. Playing in his first match as a Top 10 player, the 20-year-old Italian lost 6-7(1) 5-7 to Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, thereby losing a chance to seal the spot at the year-ending ATP Finals.
Relieved of expectations of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals now, one can expect Sinner to play with a sense of freedom in Stockholm.
Andy Murray vs Jannik Sinner
On Wednesday, Murray and Sinner will face each other in their first-ever meeting on tour. While Sinner has been in mighty impressive form with 45 wins and four titles under his belt so far this year, Murray has found a new lease of life after undergoing his second hip resurfacing surgery. This matchup across the generations promises to be a mouth-watering and intriguing affair as Sinner begins his hunt for his fifth title this season.
Andy Murray is an altogether different player when he gets a majority of his first serves in and serves well overall. That was also evident in his opener against Durasovic on Tuesday. Against a strong baseliner like Sinner, Murray needs to serve effectively to have a chance of taking down the No.1 seed.
While Sinner is exceptional off both the wings from behind the baseline, his vulnerability at the net was evident during his clash against Alcaraz in Paris. Employing drop shots periodically, Murray should aim to disrupt Sinner’s rhythm by forcing him to rush towards the net.
Sinner won’t mind engaging in long baseline rallies against the 34-year-old Murray. However, to keep the points shorter, the veteran Brit should emphasize approaching the net more often, especially during his service games.
The former World No.1 has a decent 14-13 W-L record so far in 2021, showing great heart and fighting spirit against some of the toughest opponents on tour. On the other hand, Sinner has been enjoying a coming of an age season this year.
After his loss to Alcaraz in Paris, can Sinner bounce back in his Stockholm Open debut to beat a resurgent Andy Murray? Or will the 34-year-old Brit continue to dazzle us by securing his second win in three weeks over a Top 10 player, after he beat Hubert Hurkacz in Vienna?
Let the action get underway on the Center Court as Sinner and Murray battle it out for a spot in the quarterfinal in the Swedish capital on Wednesday.
Main Photo from Getty.
