Tournament wild-card Jannik Sinner will proceed to the round of 16 of the bett1HULKS Championships, or the ATP Cologne 2 event, without hitting a single ball. Sinner was set to face sixth seed, Hubert Hurkacz in the opening round. However, Hurkacz withdrew from the event late on Sunday due to food poisoning.

Tournaments in the successive weeks are being held in Cologne. German hero Alexander Zverev won his home ATP event for the fifth straight year on Sunday.

Despite Hurkacz’s higher ranking compared to Sinner, the Italian youngster had a good chance ahead of their match. Hurkacz was fresh off a quarter-final appearance at the same event last week. He lost to second seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the final eight.

A strong run from Hubert Hurkacz stalled

The unfortunate withdrawal comes as a big disappointment after his good form last week. In his opening round match during the ATP Cologne 1, Hurkacz was even involved in one of the rallies of the year. He showed exceptional defensive skills in the rally.

Read more – WATCH: Hubert Hurkacz Constructs ‘Rally of the Year’ at ATP Cologne 2020

Meanwhile, Sinner impressed one and all after his impressive run at the French Open 2020. He made the quarter-final there and presented Rafael Nadal with the toughest challenge he faced throughout the event. He could not take a set of the eventual champion but came the closest to doing so out of all the opponents Nadal had faced.

In the Round of 16, Sinner will face the winner of the match between qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Tennys Sandgren. In the quarter-final, he could face third seed Denis Shapovalov, who made the St. Petersburg Open semi-final last week.

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Alexander Zverev looks for his second title in two weeks

On the other hand, Zverev will look to win home ATP events off consecutive weeks. The top seed has a bye in the first round and could face a Round of 16 re-match against Fernando Verdasco. Shapovalov and second seed Diego Schwartzman will present him with tougher challenges this week.

Andy Murray played the Cologne 1 event and lost to Verdasco in his opening match. Murray was set to play this week as well but announced his withdrawal due to an injury shortly before the event.

Read more – ATP Cologne 2 Draw: Alexander Zverev and Diego Schwartzman on Collision Course