MELBOURNE: Jannik Sinner launched his Australian Open title defence with a 7-6(2) 7-6(5) 6-1 win over Nicolas Jarry on Monday in a match that put the players’ contrasting doping cases in the spotlight.
World number one Sinner, who avoided suspension after failing two drug tests last March, was given a good battle on a sun-drenched Rod Laver Arena by the big-serving Chilean who was banned for 11 months in 2020 for doping.
In the lead-up to the match, Jarry had told Chilean newspaper La Tercera that he wished he had “the same support” as Sinner from tennis authorities following his own failed tests.
Sinner remains under a doping cloud, however, with the World Anti-Doping Agency seeking a ban of up to two years at the Court of Arbritration for Sport. A hearing has been set for April.
The saga has taken little toll on the Italian’s tennis; his defeat of world number 36 Jarry was the U.S. Open champion’s 16th win in succession and 15th at the hardcourt Grand Slams.
“First of all, I’m very, very happy to be back here so thank you very much for coming,” Sinner told the crowd.
“The atmosphere has been amazing.
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“He’s (Jarry) an incredible player, huge potential. I’m happy how I handled a very tough situation in the first couple of sets, happy to be in the next round.”
Jarry proved hard to shake, doggedly holding serve through the first two sets before dropping his level in the tiebreaks.
Sinner sealed the first tiebreak with an ace after bringing up four set points with sharp work at the net.
Jarry saved two set points in the second tiebreak but folded on the third with a wild backhand into the tramlines.
Sinner all but settled the matter by taking Jarry’s serve in the second game of the final set before romping to victory by serving out the match to love.
The Italian was warmly cheered by the terraces as he met Jarry at the net for a cursory handshake.
Sinner will play the winner of Japan’s Taro Daniel and local wildcard Tristan Schoolkate for a place in the third round.
Sinner was cleared of wrongdoing last year by a doping tribunal which accepted his explanation that the anabolic agent clostebol had entered his system from his former physio through massages.
His results, prize money and ranking points from the ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells were cancelled.
A provisional suspension was applied with each positive test but Sinner was allowed to keep playing after his team filed urgent appeals.
The case was not made public until August.
Jarry was banned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in 2020 after testing positive for two anabolic agents, though the governing body accepted his explanation that he had unwittingly taken multi-vitamins containing the prohibited substances on the recommendation of his doctor.
Four months before the sanction, the ITF disclosed that he had been provisionally suspended for failing the drug tests.
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