TC Plus Match of the Day: Gael Monfils vs. Jannik Sinner, Vienna

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. In Jannik Sinner’s case, he has proven it's even better to be both.

In April, Sinner sat at No. 314 in the ATP rankings with zero tour level wins to his name. After receiving a wild card into the Budapest qualifying draw, he beat Lukas Rosol via default in the first round, then lost convincingly to Germany’s Yannick Maden in the final round of qualifying. Sinner then received a lucky-loser entry into the main draw, where he earned his first career ATP win over local wild card and world No. 323 Mate Valkusz.

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Sinner built off his Budapest momentum the next week by reaching the final of the Ostrava Challenger in the Czech Republic. Then, he received a wild card into Rome, and the rest is history. Within six months the 18-year-old Italian has cracked the world’s Top 100—the youngest member since Alexander Zverev. Sinner’s talent is undeniable and he surely would have climbed up the ranks regardless, but his good fortune in Budapest kickstarted his incredible 2019 campaign.

Sinner will look to continue his rapid rankings ascent on Thursday against Gael Monfils in a match that will fill up the highlight reels.  If you haven’t seen the Italian play before, now is the time. His ball-striking is remarkable—he is a world class talent. If Sinner doesn’t defeat Monfils, he will surely push him to the brink.