After the Russian Daniil Medvedev (2nd), the young Italian (21), eighth finalist of the last two editions of the Parisian tournament, is the second serious outsider to be eliminated prematurely from the Parisian Grand Slam, despite two match balls in the fourth set.
The German, eighth-finalist at Roland-Garros in 2020, will face Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov (29th) for a place in the knockout rounds.
For Sinner, who embodies with the world N.1 Carlos Alcaraz and the N.6 Holger Rune, both 20 years old, the next generation of world tennis, it is a bitter failure.
Sinner had two match balls in the fourth set, when serving at 5 games to 4, but failed to convert them. Altmaier then managed to turn the match around, enjoying the support of part of the audience at Court Suzanne-Lenglen. The latter gave him a very long ovation and chanted his name after his marathon victory.
Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam tournament in which Altmaier has managed to win a single match. In 2020, he was invited to the knockout stages after exiting qualifying.
© 2023 AFP