Google News ATP Rome: birthday cake also for Lorenzo Sonego
by LORENZO CIOTTI
It was a day to remember for Lorenzo Sonego in Rome. The Italian tennis player turns 28 yesterday and celebrates it as best he could not, by winning. A not particularly difficult success for the tennis player from Turin, who beats the Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in two quick sets, now in the final stages of his very long career.
There was virtually no history in this first-round match on Center Court. Sonego gets rid of number 591 in just 1 hour and 15 minutes, who has only played three matches since 2021, due to the after-effects of the Covid-19 vaccine and a knee operation he underwent in June of last year.
Lorenzo, who here at the Internazionali Bnl d'Italia went as far as the quarterfinals two years ago, then only beaten by a certain Novak Djokovic. The current number 48 in the world in the next round will face one of the most affordable seeds, the Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka, in view of a possible face-to-face against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
No. 5 of the tournament and certainly the man to beat in that segment of the draw. As mentioned, on his twenty-eighth birthday he could not fail to give himself a victory. After the match, the Piedmontese was able to blow out a red candle on a beautiful cream cake in front of all his fans.
Sonego wanted to dedicate this victory to his friend Matteo Berrettini, absent for the second year in a row in the tournament in his city. “Matte miss you”, he wrote on the lens of the camera, accompanying everything with a little heart.
A splendid gesture that testifies to the beautiful friendship between the two even outside the playing fields.
The women's results
The women's draw of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, in Rome, is already the victim of the first twists and turns.
Jessica Pegula and especially Aryna Sabalenka go out in the second round, in their debut match. The American is defeated by her countrywoman Townsend, who wins with a 6-2 3-6 6-3. for the Belarusian, champion of the Madrid tournament, a 6-7 2-6 defeat arrives in favor of Sofia Kenin, former Australian Open champion.
Sofia Kenin thus reached the third round of the tournament, where she will face the Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina. Sabalenka's one is the second elimination of a top player today, as just mentioned above, after that of number 3 in the WTA ranking, Jessica Pegula.