Sinner’s set streak at Masters 1000 events was seriously put to the test against Michelsen, as the American not only pushed him to his first extended set of the tournament in the opening set, but then built a 5-2 lead in the second set, even serving for the set at 5-3.
But Sinner locked in, breaking right back and then holding for 5-all, and a few holds later the two found themselves in a tie-break, where the American jumped out to an early 3-1 lead but the Italian won six of the next seven points to close the match out in straight sets.
And with that, he’s now won 28 sets in a row at Masters 1000s.
“I felt like the serve helped me quite a lot today, especially in important moments, tie-break also, so I’m happy about that,” said Sinner, who had 15 aces in the match and won 90% of his first serve points. “In the same time I know that if I want to go far in this tournament I have to improve from the back of the court.
“Tomorrow’s a day off, which for sure helps me try to find a good rhythm in the practice session, and we’ll see how things go.”
