Rising star Sinner stops Schwartzman for Antwerp title

Jannik Sinner, shown at Indian Wells this
month, became the youngest player to collect
five tour-level titles since 19-year-old Novak
Djokovic in 2007. Photo by Paul Bauman

   Jannik Sinner looks more and more like a future Grand Slam champion.

   The 20-year-old Italian, seeded first, routed Argentina's Diego Schwartzman, seeded second, 6-2, 6-2 today to win the European Open, an ATP 250 tournament in Antwerp, Belgium.

   Sinner became the youngest player to collect five tour-level titles since 19-year-old Novak Djokovic in 2007. 

   Sinner did not lose a set in the indoor hardcourt tournament, dropping only eight total games in his last two matches. He improved two spots to a career-high No. 11 in the live rankings.

   Schwartzman, only 5-foot-7 (1.70 meters) and 141 pounds (64 kilograms) actually dropped two notches to No. 16.  He eliminated Jenson Brooksby, a 20-year-old qualifier from the Sacramento, Calif., suburb of Carmichael, 6-4, 6-0 in the semifinals. 

   College — No. 1 seed Arthur Fery of Stanford defeated No. 5 seed Yuta Kikuchi of the University of California, Berkeley 7-5, 7-5 in the semifinals of the ITA Northwest Super Regional Championships in Seattle.

   Fery, a sophomore from Great Britain, is scheduled to play No. 2 seed Clement Chidekh of the host University of Washington on Monday.

   Among those advancing to Monday's quarterfinals in the rain-delayed ITA Northwest Regional Championships at Stanford are No. 2 seed Connie Ma, No. 5 seed Alexandra Yepifanova and No. 6 seed Angelica Blake of the Cardinal, No. 3 seed Mariia Kozyreva of Saint Mary's and No. 4 seed Jessica Alsola of Cal.