Jannik Sinner reached the semifinals of the Italian Open on Thursday after beating Andrey Rublev and setting a new record for consecutive wins in Masters 1000 tournaments.
Another straight-sets victory, this time 6-2, 6-4 over Rublev, took Sinner to 32 straight wins in the ATP’s top-ranked events, one more than the previous record set by Novak Djokovic in 2011.
“I don’t play for records, I play just for my own story,” Sinner said on court.
“At the same time, it means a lot to me, but tomorrow is another day, another opponent, a different opponent.”
Rublev was Sinner’s first seeded opponent at this year’s tournament in Rome, and the World No. 1 made short work of the task in front of a delighted centre court crowd.
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On Friday, Sinner is likely to face Daniil Medvedev, the 2023 champion at the Foro Italico, with the seventh seed taking on lucky loser Martin Landaluce in the first match of the evening session.
Sinner looks near unbeatable at the moment and, with his great rival Carlos Alcaraz out injured, is the favourite to become the first Italian to win the Rome title in five decades. A potential career Grand Slam will also be on the cards at the French Open.
Rublev offered little resistance, with the Russian dropping serve in the first game of both sets to give Sinner an early advantage. He also committed 28 unforced errors in 18 games.
Sinner, meanwhile, showed flashes of his best tennis, with a fine cross-court drop shot helping him break Rublev for the fourth time and take a 4-1 lead in the second set, leaving his opponent with too much to do.
Swiatek eyes first final of season
Iga Swiatek will bid to reach her first final of the year when she faces Elina Svitolina in the final match of the day on centre court.
A six-time Grand Slam champion, Swiatek has been out of sorts on clay since winning the last of her four French Open titles two years ago, but she has returned to form in Rome.
Since struggling through her second-round win against Caty McNally, Swiatek has dropped just seven games in three matches and looks back to her best on her preferred surface.
Swiatek recently brought in Francisco Roig, the former coach of men’s clay-court great Rafael Nadal, after a difficult opening few months of the season.
The 24-year-old reached the quarterfinals in Stuttgart in early April but was forced to retire from the Madrid Open in the third round due to a viral infection.
Swiatek could face reigning Roland Garros champion Coco Gauff, who takes on veteran Sorana Cirstea on centre court after Sinner, in the final if she gets past Svitolina.
Published on May 14, 2026