Jannik Sinner stormed the semi-finals of the Italian Open after continuing his remarkable run in ATP Masters 1000 events on Thursday. The world No.1 defeated Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4 to register his 32nd consecutive victory at the Masters 1000 level, surpassing the previous record of 31 wins, which was held by Novak Djokovic in 2011. Sinner is all set to take on Daniil Medvedev in the last four after the Russian overcame Martín Landaluce in a hard-fought three-set battle.
Playing in front of an energetic home crowd in Rome, Sinner dominated Rublev, who was the Italian’s first-seeded opponent of the tournament. The Russian struggled to find rhythm throughout the contest as he lost serve in the opening game of both sets and piling up 28 unforced errors during the match.
While Sinner displayed the aggressive shot-making and composure that have defined his recent dominance, there were also signs of physical fatigue late in the encounter. The Italian was seen repeatedly touching his left thigh in the closing stages before confidently serving out the victory.
“It’s starting to feel that I’ve been playing a lot. However it goes, it will be a win for me, if I win great but even if things don’t go well that’s OK because I’ll have a few more days to prepare for Paris, which is my main objective this year.” Sinner said to the reporters.
Jannik Sinner has emerged as the favourite to win the Rome title
Jannik Sinner has been in a red-hot form, and with his biggest rival Carlos Alcaraz ruled out dur to injury, the Italian has emerged as the leading contender to capture the Rome title. If he succeeds, he would become the first home player in 50 years to lift the trophy, further boosting expectations ahead of the French Open and a possible career Grand Slam bid.
The 24-year-old will take on Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals after the former Rome champion battled past Martín Landaluce in a thrilling three-set contest.
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Landaluce, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser following the withdrawal of injured 14th seed Valentin Vacherot, enjoyed a breakthrough run in the tournament. The 20-year-old Spaniard looked on course for a maiden Masters 1000 semi-final after storming through the opening five games and comfortably taking the first set.
However, Medvedev gradually regained control of the match. A brief rain delay helped shift the momentum, and the Russian responded with some high-quality tennis in an intense baseline battle before eventually sealing the win.
Coco Gauff will take on Elina Svitolina in the final
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff has reached the final, and she will aim for her maiden Italian Open title, where she will take on Elina Svitolina for the second straight year. Gauff beat Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-3 in the afternoon session on centre court to give herself a chance of going one better than last year, when she lost to Jasmine Paolini.
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