Defending champion Jannik Sinner battled past in-form James Duckworth on Friday at the Sofia Open, winning 7-6(4), 6-4 to reach the semi-finals. The Italian, who is 11th in the FedEx ATP Race To Turin continues his campaign to reach the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held on home soil 14-21 November.
Sinner, the top seed in Sofia, recovered from both a 2-5 deficit in the first set and 2-4 down in the second to advance in straight sets. The 20-year-old improves his ATP Head2Head against the Australian to 2-1, avenging a 6-3, 6-4 defeat against Duckworth earlier this year in Toronto.
“It feels very good to be honest,” Sinner said. “You know, today was a very tough match. I lost the last one against him in Toronto and he was in a very positive situation, winning a Challenger, making the final last week. It was not easy for me and it was a very close match, especially the first set.
Duckworth, a finalist in Nur-Sultan last week, had won 11 of his past 12 matches at all levels prior to the match. The 29-year-old Australian currently stands at a career-high No. 56 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.
Next up for Sinner, who will aim to advance to his fifth-career ATP Tour final, is fifth seed Filip Krajinovic or lucky loser Kamil Majchrzak.
“Playing here once again in Sofia is very special for me,” Sinner said. “I am very proud of myself, knowing that tomorrow is a very tough challenge in front of me. So I will try to be ready for tomorrow.”
Sinner is a three-time ATP Tour champion, adding two more titles to his collection earlier this year in Melbourne and Washington.
