Heat’s on as Sinner schools Learner

Jannik Sinner beat 33 Celsius heat as he administered a 6-1, 6-2 thrashing of Learner Tien to book the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Masters on Thursday.

The second seed got on and off the court in just 67 minutes, helped by nearly 30 unforced errors from his American opponent.

Sinner’s quick victory in challenging conditions lines up a showdown with Alexander Zverev, who completed a similar straightforward win over France’s Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-3.

“I’m looking forward to this, these are the matches I practice for – semi-finals of big tournaments,

“The stage is getting bigger and bigger, so I’m very happy to be here.”

Sinner backed up his defeat of Tien last October in Beijing as he won their latest meeting.

“About the heat, today I felt quite comfortable. I came here quite early, and the week before the tournament it was very hot, so that helps me or helped me for sure,” the 24-year-old Italian said.

“I feel like of course experience (against Tien) helps you a bit. He is a very talented player. He will be here many times, but I’m happy how I reacted. 

“I feel like he was very aggressive, especially in the beginning, so I tried to hold back. An important match for me of course.”

Sinner will be aiming for his first final at the tournament when he plays fourth seed Zverev.