Corentin Moutet, the last French hope in the men’s draw, was eliminated on Sunday by Jannik Sinner in four sets (2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1) during the round of 16 at Roland-Garros.
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Philippe-Chatrier believed in it. Corentin Moutet, the last French representative in the men’s table, probably also believed in it a lot. But in the end, Jannik Sinner, world number 2, logically brought the current 79th ATP player into line. The Italian won in four sets (2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1) and less than three hours of play in the round of 16 at Roland Garros. He will face Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals.
Corentin Moutet started the match as he is: all fire, all flame, knocking out a very helpless and surprisingly imprecise Jannik Sinner with blows (14 direct errors). Unable to impose his rhythm, the Italian tried to resist his opponent’s powerful balls, long rallies, sliced backhands and merciless cushioning. The world number 2, winner of the Australian Open in January, also appeared frozen and seemed to have difficulty moving, raising fears for his hip, already sore in recent weeks.
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Roland-Garros 2024: Corentin Moutet, the new French darling
At Roland-Garros, the public’s favorite and the last Frenchman in the running is Corentin Moutet, 25 years old. The 79th player in the world eliminated three players higher ranked than him to reach the round of 16 for the first time in his career.
(franceinfo)
The change took place in the middle of the second set for the Italian. Corentin Moutet did not particularly lower his commitment – he even broke from the start, before being unbroken in the process – but Jannik Sinner broke free. The Italian moved much better, served better and made fewer mistakes (only four). Unlike the Frenchman, who made mistakes 14 times.
The Italian also liberated himself psychologically. Impervious to the noise of a Philippe-Chatrier almost entirely committed to the cause of a Moutet, who did not hesitate to play, it was he who imposed his rhythm on his opponent. Probably worn out by the intensity in the first set, Corentin Moutet just suffered until the end of the match, despite a few occasional sparks.
So far, the Frenchman had had a flawless performance, beating three players ranked higher than him. He is the first French player, among men, to take at least one set from a player in the world top 2 since Mathias Bourgue against Andry Murray in the 2nd round in 2016 (defeat in five sets). Perhaps nothing to immediately console the tempestuous left-hander.