Cecchinato defeated, for Sonego there is Tsitsipas-Corriere.it

All Grand Stand Arena was with Marco Cecchinato, but the Palermitan failed to repeat yesterday morning’s success against Roberto Bautista Agut. The German advances to the round of 16 (6-4 4-6 6-3). Yannick Hanfmann, number 101 in the ranking and arrived from the qualifiers, who after taking out Taylor Fritz eliminates the first of the three Italians on the field today (followed by Musetti-Tiafoe and, in the evening, Sonego-Tsitsipas). The two rounds left by Cecchinato remain, but there is also a little bitterness in the mouth.

Hanfmann, who had won only one game in a 1000 before Madrid, undoubtedly in the best moment of his career. In the first set the German serves very well, with little exchange Marco, who on his serving turns risks in the third game (he saves three break points) and then gives up his serve in the fifth game. Hanfmann, who risks a bit in the eighth game by canceling a break point, remains lucid and solid by hitting from the baseline, making it 5-3. All the time I can’t play against this one says a Sniped very frustrated at the change of field after having shortened the distances. On the other hand, the German beat him twice in three previous matches and in the final in Rio last year (later won by Marco) put him in difficulty. And indeed Hanfmann masters the match and closes the first set 6-4. Ceck finds himself saving two breakpoints also at the beginning of the second set (Hanfmann spoils the first badly with an incomprehensible half lob) and then charges the audience after keeping his serve. Not the best day for Marco, but the Palermitan comes back from 15-40 and holds the serve also in the third game. He continues on serve until the ninth game, where Cecchinato finds the strength to keep serving again, before throwing his opponent into confusion and breakkare in the tenth game, for the final 6-4. Inertia seems all in favor of Marco, but the German gets back into the game and goes up 2-0. The blue continues to struggle enormously, responding little to his opponent’s serve and risking a lot in his serving rounds. Hanfmann has the balls to make it 5-2 and on the fourth attempt he gets the double break which he knows is match point. But the game is crazy and Ceck breaks serve when the opponent serves for the match: he has the ball for 4-5 and the audience believes it, starting to sing, but a double fault complicates everything: Hanfmann has a match point and throws answer on the tape, but on the second attempt he made no mistake with a sumptuous answer, closing on 6-3 in 2 hours and 22 minutes.

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