Shelton 1-4 Sinner* Sinner is one of those lads you come across in the playground who shocks you the first time you see him play football because you’d never have guessed he even liked it, never mind was brilliant at it. An ace caps a love consolidation – consolidated love, that’s a nice thought – and it’s equal parts affirming and mortifying how good the world no 2 is.
*Shelton 1-3 Sinner Sinner doesn’t have the inventive genius of Alcaraz, nor the creative temperament, but who does? He’s still got a terrific eye and imagination, dashing in for a drop that’s curling away, letting the spin take effect, then bumping it low past the net-post for a delicious winner. From 0-15, he makes 15-30 and suddenly turns up the volume, directing Shelton from corner to corner until he can’t take any more, in the process raising two break points. The first, though, evaporates with a forehand into the net … and the second when Shelton whacks one of his own close enough to the corner to be unreturnable, just. “Yes!” he shouts, because he knows he can’t be going down a break and because winning points against this tennis borg imbued with human creativity and spirit is bloody difficult, but a booming return and following forehand means it’s soon advantage Sinner … deuce restored with a terrifying serve. Every game so far has been a ruckus and this is another, another fine return helping Sinner to another advantage, and this time Shelton, again put on his bike, nets a forehand and that’s the break. I fear we’ve seen this match before, one that’s close until it isn’t, and between them, Sincaraz are devastating the morale of the entire tour, enjoying their opponent’s best before imposing the steel blanket of their own.
