It must have been an eye-opening experience for Elmer Moller about what it takes to reach the very top of tennis after a difficult day against the world #1, Jannik Sinner. Despite starting the match looking spirited, the 22-year-old Dane soon found himself trailing 5-1. Moller, having been broken twice in his first three service games, faced the prospect of a breadstick before getting one of those breaks back as Sinner looked to serve out the first set.
The Dane still found himself 15-40 down in his very next service game but battled back impressively to deuce, and even had a game point. However, Sinner wrestled back control of the game and, at set point, the young Dane inadvertently dropped his racquet on the court following his service motion. He was therefore left empty-handed when Sinner returned the ball to his side of the court, prompting the Danish #2 to hit the ball with his bare hands, failing to get it across the net. The attempt brought about laughter and cheers from the crowd and the commentators. It also brought about quite a comical end to the first set as you’ve ever seen with Sinner clinching the first set 6-2.
The shot itself was never going to stand, as according to the ITF Rule 24i, the player loses the point if: “The ball in play touches the player or anything that the player is wearing or carrying, except the racket.”
An unusual end to the set 🤪
Sinner takes the opener 6-2 over Moller!#MMOpen pic.twitter.com/0UKF6ndfcy
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 26, 2026
Moller went on to lose the second set 6-3, following a single break in the sixth game as Sinner matches on for what would be a record fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title if he can emerge victorious in the Spanish capital. The match will most likely be remembered for that incident, as it was otherwise another routine win for the World #1 player. Elmer Moller will take great pride in his efforts this week, having won four straight matches for the first time this year in what has been a stop-start campaign. His match against Sinner was always one that felt insurmountable anyway. He’d now look to build on what has been an encouraging week.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images
