The men's singles 3rd round match between Jannik Sinner and Denis Shapovalov attracted attention as this is the first time the two players have faced each other in a tournament not belonging to the Grand Slam system. Previously, they had met twice in Grand Slam tournaments, in which Shapovalov won a set when facing Sinner at the US Open last year.
In the first set, Sinner had an unfavorable start when he soon lost a break with a white game. However, Shapovalov also quickly lost the advantage when making many errors in the service games. The Canadian player continuously made mistakes and made up to 6 double faults in the first set alone, creating conditions for Sinner to regain the game.
The turning point came in the 8th game when Shapovalov made consecutive errors and lost the break. Sinner took advantage of the opportunity to close the set with a 6-3 victory.
In set 2, the Italian player continued to maintain a stable game and showed superiority in form. Meanwhile, Shapovalov seemed out of breath and could no longer maintain accuracy in the balls. Sinner quickly won 6-2, thereby closing the match with a score of 2-0.
According to statistics, Sinner scored 6 aces, achieved a first serve rate of up to 77% and won 85% of points from first serve situations. Meanwhile, Shapovalov only had 2 aces and made 7 double faults, a factor that greatly affected the outcome of the match.
With this victory, Sinner qualified for the next round at Indian Wells Masters 2026, continuing to affirm his stable form this season.
