Jannik Sinner's unbeaten run in the "Sofia Open", the ATP 250 tournament that is being held on the fast indoor Armeec Arena, is still getting longer.
The 21-year-old from Sesto Pusteria, back in the top ten of the ATP and first seed, as well as defending champion, entered the race directly in the second round beating 6-3 6-4, in an hour and 22 minutes of the match. the Portuguese Nuno Borges, n.93 in the ranking, clinching the tenth victory in a row on the fast indoor Sofia.
But above all starting in the best way the row of tournaments that if played well could also lead him to the Finals in Turin.
"The first match of a tournament is always difficult - commented Sinner warmly -. I served well in delicate moments and this is important for me. The 'Sofia Open' is special: here I won my first title (repeated last year, ed) and finally now I can play with the public. The ATP Finals? I am looking and I will try to play my best every match, we will see at the end where this will take me ".
The game is not exciting.
Sinner showed some acceleration of his and above all he played the important points well.
In the first set he capitalized to the maximum the only break he scored in the second game.
Borges has worked hard to avoid a bad figure on the surface that suits him less and above all under the net he has shown why he is an excellent doubles player.
However, this did not prevent the South Tyrolean from securing the partial 6-3 with the ace number four.
Sinner continued to be a bit choppy but still hit the break in the third game of the second half.
The Portuguese tried to be even more aggressive but it wasn't even enough to get to the ball-break and the South Tyrolean finished 6-4.
Sinner will play for a place in the semifinals with the winner of the match between the Australian Aleksandar Vukic, n.144 in the ranking (who eliminated Fabio Fognini on his debut) and the Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco.
Musetti will also play in the quarterfinals, who will face the German Struff instead.
On the other hand, Lorenzo Sonego was eliminated in the afternoon match, beaten in comeback by the Danish Holger Rune, world number 31, who won 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 after more than two hours of playing.
The Turin player stops at six consecutive victories, he who had just returned from the triumph in Metz.
After dominating the tie-break in the first fraction, the blue gave up his serve at the end of the second set, clashing with the great defense of his rival.
He then suffered the break in the ninth game of the third fraction, which sent Rune to serve for the match: the Dane did not tremble, closing at zero and reaching the quarter-finals where he will challenge Ilya Ivashka.
The Finals in Turin are the goal of Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini, who this week returned to the field in Sofia hitting the semifinals of the Bulgarian '250' thanks to a 6-4 6-3 victory over Alexander Donski / Alexandar Lazarov.
Next opponents of Bolelli and Fognini - who are the no.
1 of the seeding - will be the Germans Fabian Fallert and Oscar Otte, who in the first round ousted the seeded n.
3 Francisco Cabral / Jamie Murray.
Going all the way in the Bulgarian tournament would allow the blue couple to take a step forward towards the second qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin (13-20 November), after they won their first historic Italian victory in the tournament in 2015.