Match of the Day: Alex de Minaur vs. Jannik Sinner, Sofia quarterfinal

On November, 9, 2019, Jannik Sinner and Alex de Minaur faced off for the NextGen ATP Finals title. The match was played in a format featuring first-to-four sets, no-ad scoring and on-court coaching during changeovers, on a singles-only court equipped with fully electronic line calling.

But none of the experimentations nor rule changes mattered much, as the Italian phenom boat-raced his speedy opponent, 4-2, 4-1, 4-2, in just over an hour. A year later, De Minaur will hope to avenge that beatdown in Sofia’s quarterfinal round.

Thursday’s match will provide a fascinating glimpse into how Sinner’s overwhelming power matches up against De Minaur’s incredible speed and counterpunching ability. In Milan, it was no contest, as Sinner rocked clean winners from his forehand, backhand and return. But now that the Australian knows firsthand how dangerous Sinner is, this encounter should be much more competitive.

It’s not easy to hit the ball past De Minaur, but it sure was for Sinner on that day.

From the beginning, it was quite clear that the Australian was out of his element. It doesn’t matter how fast you are when your opponent paints lines like Picasso the entire match.

De Minaur is famous for his counterpunching ability, but Sinner’s defensive skills are extremely underrated. Look how much ground Sinner covers with this lunge towards his backhand, followed by a nearly impossible backhand down-the-line flick passing shot.

According to the oddsmakers, Sinner is just a slight -145 favorite, which feels a bit underpriced given that his last three losses have come to Rafael Nadal, Alexander Zverev, and Andrey Rublev. The Demon is a fantastic player, but his level is nowhere near the three previously mentioned players. According to an ATP player, the balls in Sofia are extremely heavy, which could prevent De Minaur from ending the point when given the rare opportunity. Sinner, however, hits the ball so clean and hard that the ball type doesn’t matter.

It appears the 19-year-old has fully recovered from a foot injury that forced him to retire three games in against Rublev in Vienna. Look for the Italian to finish his season on a high note, and brush away the No. 3 seed once again.

The Pick: Jannik Sinner