Tennis: Sinner Beats De Jong, Advances to Last 16 at Italian Open

Rome: Jannik Sinner defeated Jesper de Jong 6-4, 6-2 to secure a spot in the last 16 of the Italian Open on Monday. The world number one will next face Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in the tournament.

According to Ansa News Agency, Sinner’s match against the Dutch player de Jong, who is ranked 303rd in the world and is 24 years old, followed his winning return after a three-month doping ban. Sinner had previously beaten Argentine world number 142 Mariano Navone on Saturday.

The 23-year-old South Tyrolean has previously claimed one US Open and two Australian Open titles. He is considered a favorite to win the Italian Open, alongside world number three and four-time Grand Slam winner Carlo Alcaraz from Spain.