Rome, May 12 World No. 1 Jannik Sinner moved level with Novak Djokovic for the longest ATP Masters 1000 winning streak in history after cruising into the quarter-finals of the Italian Open with a straight-sets win over fellow Italian Andrea Pellegrino on Tuesday. Backed by a packed Campo Centrale crowd in Rome, Sinner produced another clinical display to seal a 6-2, 6-3 victory and register his 31st consecutive win at the Masters 1000 level, matching the record previously set by Djokovic.
The Italian top seed has been virtually unstoppable on the tour over the past six months and is now within touching distance of claiming the record outright if he wins his quarter-final clash later this week. Sinner’s remarkable streak began late last season and has included title-winning runs in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid, where he recently became the first player to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles.
The 24-year-old is also chasing another landmark in Rome. Having already completed eight of the nine Masters 1000 titles available on the ATP Tour, Sinner is attempting to become only the second player, after Djokovic, to achieve the Career Golden Masters.
Against Pellegrino, however, the scoreline only partly reflected the contest. The World No. 155, competing in the main draw of a Masters 1000 event for the first time, produced several eye-catching moments with clever drop shots, sliced forehands, and aggressive baseline play that repeatedly lifted the home crowd.
Pellegrino threatened to make the second set far tighter than expected and nearly earned double break-point opportunities while trailing 3-2. But Sinner responded with the kind of sudden acceleration that has defined his rise to the top of the sport. From 3-3 in the second set, the top seed raised the intensity immediately, breaking serve for 4-3 before closing out the match comfortably in one hour and 28 minutes.
Sinner’s dominance against Italian opposition also continued, with the victory extending his unbeaten record against compatriots on tour to 19-0. The Rome finalist from last season is now through to his third quarter-final appearance in the Italian capital, becoming only the second Italian man in the Open Era after Adriano Panatta to achieve that feat three times.
He will next face either Andrey Rublev or Nikoloz Basilashvili for a place in the semi-finals.
Pellegrino, meanwhile, leaves Rome with one of the best weeks of his career after defeating Frances Tiafoe earlier in the tournament. The 29-year-old is projected to rise to a career-high ranking next week after climbing more than 30 places in the live standings.
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