Sinner Grinds Past Cobolli to Tease Bublik Clash
Under Vienna’s indoor lights, Jannik Sinner turned a straightforward opener into a test of grit, edging Flavio Cobolli in straight sets to line up a quarterfinal rematch with unpredictable Alexander Bublik.
In the resonant confines of Vienna‘s Stadthalle, Jannik Sinner prolonged his impeccable streak against fellow Italians, overcoming Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 7-6(4) to claim a berth in the Erste Bank Open quarterfinals. The top seed, riding the wave from his season’s swiftest triumph—a 58-minute dispatch of Daniel Altmaier in the opening round—faced a sterner challenge that demanded composure amid the ATP 500’s compact rhythm. What unfolded was a blend of suffocating baseline command and tiebreak tenacity, all on a surface where balls skid low and decisions echo swiftly through the crowd’s attentive hum.
Dominance builds in the opening set
Sinner seized the first set without yielding a break point, drilling groundstrokes deep into the court to keep the 23-year-old pinned and reactive. His crosscourt forehands carved angles that invited defensive slices, turning Cobolli’s flat returns into hurried lobs under the arena’s focused glare. This controlled pressure, a hallmark of his indoor game, eroded the challenger’s footing early, extending Sinner’s 17-0 mark against countrymen while the spectators sensed the Italian’s quiet assurance taking root.
The second set shifted as Cobolli heated up, his serves landing with bite that neutralized four break chances Sinner crafted through probing inside-out patterns. Sinner adapted by mixing slice backhands to vary the tempo, drawing the 23-year-old forward only to redirect passes down the line when gaps appeared. Yet the resistance held, forcing a tiebreak where Sinner’s steadier footwork and proactive returns edged ahead, sealed by Cobolli’s double fault at 3-4 and a final serve placement that clinched the match in one hour and 48 minutes.
He has been playing an incredible season and has been improving week after week, so I was looking forward to this one. He was one of the Italians I had not played yet. He is a great talent and a great competitor and we both played some great tennis at times. I had some chances in the second but could not use them and that is tennis. I tried to stay in the moment and play with a great mentality and I am very happy with today’s match.
Tiebreak resolve sharpens mental edge
Throughout the encounter, Sinner’s mentality shone, refusing to rush against a competitor whose rising form had built quiet momentum in recent weeks. The indoor hard’s pace amplified every one–two combination, allowing him to dictate from the backline while the crowd’s rising tension mirrored the set’s back-and-forth. This victory, less fluid than his prior outing, underscored his growth in sustaining focus, now backed by a 14-4 lifetime record at the event—including the 2023 title—and an unbroken run of 18 indoor matches.
Bublik rematch stirs tactical intrigue
Next awaits Alexander Bublik in the quarters, a foe whose flair has twice disrupted Sinner’s path, most memorably en route to the Halle crown in June. The Italian exacted payback at the US Open with a resounding 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 rout, tilting their head-to-head to 5-2. On these swift courts, Bublik’s underspin serves and volleys could test Sinner’s returns, but the 24-year-old’s depth and redirection promise to unravel that chaos, potentially fueling a deeper charge through Vienna’s draw as the season’s final push intensifies.
