World No.2 Jannik Sinner had to toil hard for his 7-6, 7-6 win against Brazilian Joao Fonseca in the round of 16 in the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday. Sinner defended three set points in the opening set tiebreak as he was pushed to the edge by the Brazilian.
However, the Italian was able to keep calm and deliver in crunch situations. Sinner admitted he lost a bit of intensity in the second set but was delighted that he bounced back.
The second seed was full of praise for Fonseca after the match and said the Brazilian has all the talent and skill.
“Joao is an incredible player, incredible talent, very powerful from both sides. He was serving very well,” Sinner said after the narrow victory. “I felt like trying to be as aggressive as possible was the key. I dropped a bit of intensity at the end of the second set but he played incredible tennis out there. The atmosphere has been amazing, so I’m very happy about today’s match.”
On the other hand, Fonseca was happy with his level and said he can compete with the top players on the tour.
“I can play against them. I can do some great matches. But there are always the little things, the little important things that you need to work every day,” Fonseca said.
“I mean, those little details are just super important, like when he played the important points, how he deals with it. So of course I still need a lot of experience, but I think the level is still there. Of course, I can play against them. [There are] many more things to improve, but I feel happy the way that I played, because I felt the level was pretty close today.”
The Brazilian praised Sinner and said the Italian was able to put him under pressure on big points.
“I think he puts a lot of pressure… He won a lot of points serving, a lot of important points. I would say he puts a lot of pressure every time when he’s nervous. When he’s tight, he puts a lot of pressure. Doesn’t matter the time. He hits the ball strongly,” Fonseca said.
“You can feel the ball, just heavy. That’s a thing that I felt, the intensity of the game. It’s all the games, 100 per cent, you need to be always ready, always focused. That’s the main difference, I think the intensity, the way that he plays important points.”
Sinner will take on Learner Tien in the quarterfinal on Thursday.
