Sinner surges into Rome semis with record 32nd straight Masters 1000 win

14 May 2026, 13:15 · CNA · Join

Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 14, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his quarter final match against Russia's Andrey Rublev REUTERS/Ciro De Luca

Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 14, 2026 Russia's Andrey Rublev during his quarter final match against Italy's Jannik Sinner REUTERS/Ciro De Luca

Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 14, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner shakes hands with Russia's Andrey Rublev after winning his quarter final match REUTERS/Ciro De Luca

Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 14, 2026 General view during the quarter final match between Russia's Andrey Rublev and Italy's Jannik Sinner REUTERS/Claudia Greco

Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST

ROME, May 14 : Jannik Sinner continued his ominous form ahead of the French Open as the Italian set a record with his 32nd consecutive Masters 1000 victory, brushing aside Russia's Andrey Rublev 6-2 6-4 to reach the Italian Open semi-finals on Thursday.

The world number one moved clear of Novak Djokovic's record and set his sights on further milestones. Djokovic remains the only man to have won all nine Masters 1000 events - a feat Sinner, 24, could match if he goes on to lift the title on home soil in Rome.

"I don't play for records. I play just for my own story," Sinner said.

Sinner will next face former world number one Daniil Medvedev, who recovered from a poor opening set to beat Spanish youngster Martin Landaluce 1-6 6-4 7-5 in the other quarter-final.

CNA Games

Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time

Buzzword
Create words using the given letters

Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser

Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge

Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less

"At the same time, it means a lot to me, but tomorrow is another opponent. We're going to play in different conditions - it's going to be a night match," Sinner added.

"Now the highest priority for me is trying to recover as much as I can physically. We'll see how it goes.

"Emotionally, it takes a lot playing here at home. At the same time, I'll definitely try to do my best. It's a win-win situation for me in any case. It was a good day today."

The top seed set the tone early, breaking Rublev, seeded 12th, in the opening game and quickly consolidating for a 2-0 lead. Rublev got on the board to pull back to 2-1, but Sinner held firm in a lengthy fourth game, saving break points to move ahead 3-1.

From there, Sinner remained in control, breaking again at 5-2 before calmly serving out the opening set.

He made another fast start in the second set, securing an early break and keeping Rublev at arm's length before a brief pushback from the former world number five.

Sinner wrapped up the straight-sets victory in one hour and 31 minutes, striking 19 winners, as the home crowd chanted his name after he sealed the record.

Earlier this month, Sinner became the first man to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles when he lifted the Madrid Open trophy, adding to recent triumphs in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo.

With Rome the only title missing from his collection, Sinner is aiming to go one better than last year, when he was beaten in the final by Carlos Alcaraz.

The 23-year-old Spaniard, a seven-times Grand Slam winner, is nursing a wrist injury and is out of the French Open, potentially clearing Sinner's path to a first Roland Garros title - the only Grand Slam missing from his illustrious trophy cabinet.

In this form, Sinner looks virtually unstoppable and will be eyeing a fifth Grand Slam crown when the French Open main draw gets underway on May 24.

RELENTLESS MEDVEDEV SURVIVES LANDALUCE SCARE

Landaluce, 20, came out firing against Russian seventh seed Medvedev, the 2023 Rome champion, racing to a 5-0 lead in a one-sided opening set. Medvedev avoided an embarrassing bagel by getting on the board at 5-1 before digging deep over the next two sets.

The deciding set swung repeatedly on momentum, with Medvedev initially falling a break behind before battling back to level at 3-3. The pair traded blows in a tense stretch, and Landaluce drew level at 5-5 in a marathon game featuring multiple break points.

The 2021 U.S. Open champion made his greater experience count to finally emerge victorious after a two-hour, 23-minute battle.

Sinner leads Medvedev in their head-to-head, winning nine of 16 meetings, including the last four.

Sinner surges into Rome semis with record 32nd straight Masters 1000 win

Recommended Read

Sign up for our newsletters

Get the CNA app