Jannik Sinner faced a challenging test to begin his 2023 grass season, but the Italian aced it on Wednesday at the Libema Open. At the ATP 250 event in's-Hertogenbosch, the second-seeded Sinner survived the big-serving threat of Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-2.
In his matchup with Bublik, an ATP Tour finalist on grass twice, in the second round, Sinner won in 84 minutes by converting three of his 12 break points. In the first games of the season's tour-level competitions, Sinner is already 11-0.
The 2022 Wimbledon quarter-finalist, who has a 5-5 record on grass, is still relatively inexperienced on the surface, but his masterful display against Bublik showed just how potent his vicious groundstrokes can be. Emil Ruusuvuori, who won a tough match against seventh seed Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-4, will face Sinner in the quarterfinals.