Italian Teen Sinner Defeats Veteran Simon To Make Cologne Semis

Cologne, Germany, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Oct, 2020 ) :Jannik Sinner, the only teenager in the world's top 100, recovered from losing eight straight games to beat French veteran Gilles Simon 6-3, 0-6, 6-4 on Friday and book a place in the Cologne ATP semi-finals.

The 19-year-old Italian, ranked at a career-high 46, was 0-2 down in the final set to an opponent 16 years his senior before fighting back.

Wild card Sinner, who saved 16 of 21 break points, will be playing in his second tour-level semi-final after making the last four in Antwerp in 2019.

He will next play top-seeded German Alexander Zverev or Adrian Mannarino of France.

"He didn't give me any angles and played down the middle. He was very solid and I tried to play more on his forehand," said Sinner of Simon, a former world number six.

"Losing eight games in a row can happen, but next time I need to find a solution earlier. He played far better than me in the second set.

"I got a little emotional in the third set, but I wanted to show that I wanted to win."