New Delhi, July 1 (IANS) Former Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard has backed defending champion Jannik Sinner to overcome his early exit from the French Open and win his second consecutive title in a row, saying his game is ideally suited to grass, even though he was pushed to five sets in his tournament opener.

Sinner survived a major scare in the first round, battling past Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-3 after trailing by two sets to one. The gritty comeback also ended his run of five consecutive defeats in five-set matches, while he overcame a bloodied foot during the contest to book a second-round clash against Portugal’s Nuno Borges.

“My first pick would be Sinner, of course, because he has won here before. With his game style on grass, he really seems like a top contender,” Bouchard told Jio Hotstar. “But he had a crazy five-set match in the first round of this edition, kind of unexpected. So I’m not sure where his level is at.”

The Canadian, however, believes the testing opener could ultimately work in Sinner’s favour as he settles into the tournament. “Sometimes that is a good sign, and you work through all the issues. I will still pick him, even though it was a little questionable in his first round,” she added.

Sinner entered Wimbledon after a mixed run in recent months. He captured the Italian Open title in Rome but suffered a surprise second-round exit at the French Open before being taken the distance by Kecmanovic in his Wimbledon opener. Despite those setbacks, the reigning champion remains among the strongest contenders at the All England Club.

The Italian returns to Centre Court later on Wednesday for his second-round encounter against Borges as he continues his title defence. Sinner is currently ranked world No.1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and was the year-end No. 1 in 2024. Sinner has won 29 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including four majors, ten Masters, and two ATP Finals titles.

–IANS

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