Jannik Sinner kicks off Halle Open defense with solid win over Yannik Hanfmann

Jannik Sinner began his campaign at the Halle Open with a hard-fought 7-5, 6-3 victory over Yannick Hanfmann. The defending champion faced his first grass-court match of the season against a tricky opponent who had already played some matches on grass after coming through qualifying.

The world No. 1 is starting to move past his Roland Garros final loss to Carlos Alcaraz and is beginning to show signs of what he can achieve in the grass-swing with an eye towards Wimbledon. With 26 winners and 10 aces throughout the match, Sinner continues to maintain his rhythm despite the change of surface.

On a grass court, the margins are small, and it's more important than ever to seize opportunities. The first set unfolded exactly this way, with Sinner getting his first break chance as early as the second game, but failing to convert it. There was a long stretch of the match with hardly any rallies, as both players proved effective on serve.

However, the three-time Grand Slam champion is excellent at reading moments of pressure on his opponents, and when everything seemed set for a tie-break, he seized the critical moment and created a couple of set points. The Italian took the set with a late break, 7-5, capitalizing on his opponent's errors, winning 82% of points on his first serve against his opponent's 70%.

The first set lead did not demoralize Hanfmann, who immediately generated a couple of break opportunities in the second set. However, once again, Sinner was efficient under pressure and managed to defend his first service game. The case was different when Hanfmann had the responsibility, as when Sinner was up 3-2, the German conceded a couple of break chances to his rival that would prove decisive in the match's outcome.

Sinner secured his first break of the set, and from that point, he only needed to hold his serve. The Italian had no further issues and closed out the victory 7-5, 6-3, in a good first match on grass courts. It took him an hour and 31 minutes, showcasing great service games and being especially efficient in key moments. In the second round, he will meet Alexander Bublik, whom he already defeated in the Roland Garros quarterfinals a couple of weeks ago.