ATP Masters Monte-Carlo: Sinner vs Rune - the meeting of the crown princes (of the crown prince)
Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune meet today in the semifinals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo (from 3:30 p.m. live on TV and live stream on Sky and in our ticker). The two would actually be the next contenders for number one if there wasn't someone already there.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Apr 14, 2023, 10:41 pm
It's one thing with crown princes: there can only be one. Well, Holger Rune could try to succeed Denmark, after all, Queen Margarethe has been in office since 1972. With Jannik Sinner, the situation is a little more difficult, the Italian monarchy as such has long since outlived itself. But there is still the ATP tour, where a new ruler is constantly being sought. If you are completely honest (and deduct all absences from the tournaments, most of which are self-inflicted), then King Novak I. has been enthroned over his brave fellow combatants for quite some time.
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But at some point the Serbian grandmaster will turn to things with a higher relaxation value than a second-round match against Ivan Gakhov in Monte Carlo. And when the throne becomes vacant, then yes... Carlos Alcaraz will sit there.
That's basically a no-brainer unless the Spaniard's body has other ideas. And that is basically also a burden for two young people who will be dueling for a place in the final in Monte Carlo today. Holger Rune already announced a few years ago that he sees himself as the industry leader one day in the not too distant future.
Sinner with a good record against Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner would never be that bold, but the South Tyrolean has already made very high demands in terms of play this year. On Friday, for example, against Lorenzo Musetti, whom he roughly pushed out of Court Rainier III. But also against the designated crown prince Carlos Alcaraz, whom he was able to defeat not only in Miami.
The match-up with Holger Rune is still very fresh, Sinner was unable to play the only encounter in the semi-finals in Sofia last year. Now who can force their game on whom? Sinner will certainly not have been upset that Rune got rid of Daniil Medvedev. So far, Jannik Sinner has not made a trick against the Russians. But the South Tyrolean will certainly have noticed how varied Rune has presented himself at his previous appearances in Monte Carlo. Also and especially against Dominic Thiem, who is getting better and better.
Rune with exquisite stops
Rune resisted his power game, sometimes fighting fire with fire, but occasionally throwing in a ball with a longer trajectory to be able to position himself properly again. That was very clever. And the stops were also very exquisite - both against Thiem and against Medvedev. However: Jannik Sinner is usually closer to the baseline, is now coming to the net more consistently and can shorten the points.
That sounds like must-see TV. And that's it. Of course, it would be even nicer if the chief crown prince was also in the mix. As a three-man combo, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune will appear together in a tableau in Madrid at the earliest. Because next week Rune will defend his title in Munich, while Alcaraz and Sinner will open in Barcelona.
Here the individual tableau in Monte Carlo
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