Sinner powers into Italian Open last 16 as Swiatek and Gauff advance

ROME: Jannik Sinner stormed into the last 16 of the Italian Open on Monday with a dominant 6-2, 6-0 win over Alexei Popyrin, setting up an all-Italian meeting with qualifier Andrea Pellegrino.

The world number one stretched his winning streak to 25 matches, needing just over an hour on centre court to brush aside Australia’s Popyrin. Sinner’s next opponent, 29-year-old Pellegrino, booked his place by defeating 20th seed Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (10/8), 6-1.

Pellegrino is ranked 155th in the world and, before this week, had never featured in the main draw of a Masters 1000 event.

“It's fun to play a derby in Italy, he's having an incredible tournament with a lot of victories against some really good opponents,” Sinner told reporters.

“We've played each other a long time ago (in 2019 in an ITF tournament), but he was a different player, and I was a different player.”

Sinner is looking to extend his record-breaking run of victories in the ATP’s top-level events after winning his last five. The 24-year-old has joined Novak Djokovic as the only player to win the first 25 Masters 1000 matches of a year, although Djokovic’s run reached 31 in 2011.

Popyrin struggled throughout the contest, committing 23 unforced errors. The world number 60 landed only 48 percent of his first serves, and Sinner took full advantage by breaking serve five times in a one-sided match.

If Sinner goes on to win at the Foro Italico, he would become the first Italian champion there since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago and would complete his set of Masters 1000 titles. “Sinner is different to everyone else at the moment, he is a class above,” said Pellegrino. “I'll try to give my best out there and above all enjoy the atmosphere out on the court.”

With Carlos Alcaraz out injured and Novak Djokovic already eliminated, Sinner is the leading contender in Rome as he builds towards the French Open, which starts next week, where he is aiming to complete the career Grand Slam.

Elsewhere in the men’s draw, former Rome champion Daniil Medvedev came through a three-set contest against Pablo Llamas Ruiz, winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. That result set up a meeting with Thiago Agustin Tirante, who beat 10th seed and Rome native Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-4.

Swiatek and Gauff move on in women’s draw

In the women’s tournament, Iga Swiatek advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Naomi Osaka and will next face Jessica Pegula.

Swiatek looked closer to the form that brought her four French Open titles. The Polish player has not won a clay-court tournament since lifting her most recent Roland Garros title two years ago, with personal problems cited as a factor in her disappointing results on her preferred surface.

On Monday, however, she gave Osaka little room to settle and completed the match in one hour and 22 minutes. Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, has still not gone beyond the last 16 of any tournament this year after also exiting at that stage in Indian Wells and the Madrid Open against Aryna Sabalenka.

Coco Gauff also reached the quarter-finals, but only after surviving a major scare against Iva Jovic. Gauff saved a match point before coming through 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 in a contest on windy centre court that lasted nearly three hours.

The American, identified in the report as the reigning French Open champion and last year’s Rome finalist, reacted in frustration shortly after saving match point at 5-4 down in the second set by smacking herself in the head. She eventually recovered and will now face Mirra Andreeva in the last eight.